


Peter B. Parker: Spiderman, Avenger, and Sort-Of Sugar Baby

by tristan_jace



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Flash Thompson Being A Jerk, Implied Sexual Content, Multi, Natasha Romanov Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Peter Parker is Eighteen, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Peter Parker's Field Trip to Stark Industries, Polyamory, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Bucky Barnes, Recreational Drug Use, Sugar Baby Peter Parker, The Avengers Are Good Bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:07:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 40,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23838841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tristan_jace/pseuds/tristan_jace
Summary: It all began when Peter first turned eighteen. His senior year was just getting into motion when his birthday had rolled around. Technically, it all really started three years prior when he was just fifteen.*Nothing happens until Peter is at least eighteen, I do not condone anything underage whether NY's consent law is 17 or not.*
Relationships: Betty Brant/Ned Leeds, Bruce Banner/Natasha Romanov/Thor, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Michelle Jones/Shuri, Peter Parker/Pepper Potts, Peter Parker/Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 113
Kudos: 655
Collections: Spider-Man Public Identity Reveal





	1. The Beginning

Peter had moved into Avengers Tower after the tumultuous fight between “Team Iron Man” and “Team Cap” (as well as the reconciliation) and it had been a dream come true. Meeting each of them under better circumstances was a gift to the young genius and he cultivated unique friendships with each. 

The first had been Pepper, though they weren’t exactly friends. She had been introduced to Peter when Mr. Stark returned from Germany with him in tow and at first, she had been angry that he was there, but only because he was so young. Which she told Mr. Stark. A lot. When he moved in not two weeks later she had been inviting and interested in not only his powers but how his day was, what he and Ned were doing after school, and other mundane things. While Mr. Stark was oftentimes spacey about the day-to-day events in Peter’s life, Pepper was the exact opposite. He remembered the big days in Peter’s life while she knew the small stuff. 

She brought him gifts from each place she travelled on business and he returned the favor with pictures of cute dogs he saw while on patrol. Pepper even hassled Peter about eating right and his grades, but he didn’t really see it as a hassle. No, he kind of enjoyed her caring nature even if he would never admit it to anyone other than himself. When she was at the Tower he always made sure to make time for her between school, working with Mr. Stark, and patrolling through New York. Sometimes they would binge-watch shows or read, both spent in a companionable silence that Peter found himself enjoying even as he got older and really began to notice Pepper. 

Peter had felt guilty at first. Pepper was Mr. Stark’s wife, and here he was, watching her like some kind of perv. It took a few weeks for Peter to realize that he shouldn’t feel too guilty. It wasn’t like he watched her through FRIDAY or just stared, he appreciated her whether she was destroying the careers of sexist white men or lounging around the Tower in a pair of cuffed jean shorts. 

Spending time with Pepper took up his first few weeks at the Tower and then he really began to meet with Mr. Stark. The older man would request him in the lab or they would discuss schematics over dinner, something that Peter delighted in immensely because he got to see Pepper smile at the man adoringly as he ranted about something to the spiderling. (Sometimes he wondered if he would ever be on the receiving end of that smile) 

After school, Peter went straight to Mr. Stark’s personal lab, the floor directly below the penthouse for convenience, and sometimes he would even allow Peter to help work on the latest Iron Man suit. Never anything big, just adding suggestions or screwing in plates, but it made Peter’s heart swell all the same. Working in the lab with his idol was just as special to him as watching Supernatural with Pepper. He loved to hear the man mutter to himself as he soldered or hum along to whatever playlist FRIDAY chose to play from. It was a new kind of rush for Peter to speak and have someone actually understand and be able to bat equally complex ideas back at him. (If that’s when he started to fall a little in love with the older man, well, no one needed to know.)


	2. Wanda and Natasha, or, Murder-Child and Murder-Mom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never written a ficlet in my life, dog, I'm all about exposition and backstory so this shit is new. Hopefully, it's good because this idea has been bothering me for three days.

Next, him and Wanda, the closest in age as she was only sixteen after the events of the so-called “Avengers Civil War”, bonded over being considered children despite their extraordinary gifts. They had an almost sibling-type bond that the witch sorely missed after the death of her brother only two years prior. Once when Peter had just started showing Wanda the sights, their weekly weekend outing to get her more acclimated to New York, she had told the webslinger that Pietro would have liked him. (And if Peter teared up at her soft admission then that was no one’s business but theirs.)

After that, they became siblings in all but blood. Peter would talk boys with Wanda while they played video games and she would ruffle his hair on his way out of the kitchen because he was running late yet again. Occasionally, when the young woman felt in control of her gifts, they would train together even though she was terrified she might hurt Peter. It took him lifting a car off of some pedestrians during one of his patrols for her to realize that he could take whatever she threw at him. Needless to say, she stopped pulling her punches in the gym.

Then, Natasha. She had still slightly terrified him, I mean c’mon, she could murder him with her  _ thighs _ . Not that it wouldn’t be a damn good way to go. The Black Widow had took some time away after Civil War and didn’t officially meet until two months after the fight once the Rogues were pardoned. Peter had been using a dance studio, with the permission of Mr. Stark of course, and had immediately gone red when he found Natasha Romanoff watching him do his pliés with an arched brow. 

“Hi, Ms. Black Widow, I’m sorry, is this your studio? I had asked Mr. Stark and he said I could but if it’s yours then I will leave immediately,” Peter had babbled all in one breath, doing his best impression of Bambi as he tugged at the hem of his crop top hoodie, “we’re all entitled to our spaces and I’m really sorry for invading yours, please don’t strangle me with your thighs…” he had trailed off, his voice tapering off to a whisper as he stared down at the redheaded woman sheepishly. He had expected her to yell at him or, ya know, murder him with her spy moves but she had simply smiled at him. It was only a quirk of her lips but it made Peter’s erratic heart slow. 

“You must be Stark’s маленький паук.” 

“I don’t know what that means, but if it means Spiderman then yeah, that’s me.” He had replied with this beaming grin that had stunned Natasha though she made sure not to let it show. 

“You are good,” was her short reply. 

“Oh, yeah, I did ballet before the bite but after it just kinda made it easier. I’m, like, crazy flexible now.” That chance encounter lead to Peter’s weekly meet-up with Ms. Roman- _ Natasha _ \- in the studio where she taught him new dances and tested his flexibility. Occasionally someone else would join them such as Clint, Bucky (only after sixteen months at the tower though), and one time even Steve but he was a bit too bulky to grasp the grace of a ballerina as they did. 

If they weren’t dancing or training, Natasha was trying to teach Peter Russian. With his intellect and increased brain function, it was easier to grasp and he quickly found himself conversing with the spy in Russian on a daily basis to keep his skills sharp, to the immense horror of Mr. Stark. Whenever Peter would talk in Russian he would just stare, but the webslinger couldn’t place the emotion in his dark eyes. 

Once Mr. Bucky started leaving the floor he shared with Mr. America, he too joined in with their conversations and it served to unsettle Clint and Sam no matter what they discussed. Peter was sure that Natasha did it for that exact reason.


	3. Bruce and Vision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue how long this will be tbh

After meeting Natasha there was a week-long lull. Peter went to school, worked in the labs with Mr. Stark at four, and had dinner with the others whenever someone pulled him and Mr. Stark away from whatever project they were working on. Now, not  _ everyone  _ showed up to dinner, that only happened every few months. Usually though it was him, Pepper and Mr. Stark, Bruce, Natasha, Mr. America, and Mr. Bucky. Clint still lived on his farm with his family but occasionally stopped by the Tower to visit and hang out. Mr. Thor was back on New Asgard trying to sort out the new kingdom with Valkyrie, who Peter had not met yet but looked forward to because he felt she had the same vibe as Natasha. The murder-thighs vibe. Sam stayed in Wakanda, most likely because of T’Challa, and Rhodey still moved with the Army despite needing braces after the fight.

Peter had come back from school that Thursday, walked into the tower and waved to his favorite security guard, Andy. She let him through as usual with a kind smile and another sticker pressed into his hand as he passed. It was a tradition between the two, every shift she worked in the lobby she would bring Peter a sticker her daughter, Sara, had designed. As a fellow Gen Z kid, Sara’s stickers were show references and from Vines or Tik Tok. In return, every Wednesday Peter would meet Sara in Central Park if the weather permitted and help her with her schoolwork for a couple of hours. 

FRIDAY had informed Peter that Mr. Stark and a special guest were waiting in the lab once he entered the elevator and his mind raced with the possibilities. He was practically bouncing in place as the doors slid open. Backpack slung over one shoulder, Peter strode down the hall and entered the main lab where Mr. Stark and a shorter man stood studying an equation on the board. 

“It’s not working out because you used the wrong coefficient when balancing,” Peter had called out as he set the bag down at his table and grinned as the two whirled around in surprise. “Holy heck, you’re Dr. Bruce Banner!” The curly-haired man had smiled sheepishly and turned to eye Mr. Stark, but the other man only smirked. 

“That’s me, kid.” 

“I’ve read all your articles, Dr. Banner! I studied the results of your gamma radiation reports until I could recite them, my uncle used to love it!” Peter stated in excitement as he openly stared in awe at the older man. “Your picture is in my science class!” 

“Uh, why?” Peter blushed when he realized how it sounded and was quick to elaborate.

“She has a wall of the greatest scientists, right, and you’re up there with Madam Curie and Tesla!” 

“Why am I not up there?” Tony pouted. 

“Because you’re not as cool, Mr. Stark,” Peter teased cheerfully as he continued to smile at the doctor. “Plus, you’re an engineer, not a scientist.” He doesn’t tell the man that he  _ is  _ on the wall the robotics club used for their after-school meetings. 

“You wound me, Parker.” He said, hand over his heart in exaggeration. After that, Peter fixed their equation and went back to work on his own project, a new spidey-suit and accompanying gadgets. After the events of Civil War the young hero realized that if he was going to be going on bigger missions then he would need to look like he belonged, so a new suit with better protection became his pet project. Peter had all the blueprints down and was ready to begin, but all he was missing was a bit of Vibranium, something that Wakanda had almost full control of. 

So, Peter continued to tweak things while he waited for King T’Challa to get back to him about obtaining him a bit of Vibranium. While there were web-shooters built into his current suit, Peter wanted a set that he wore all of the time. Thus far he had designed a lightweight band that was only an inch-and-a-half wide and only a millimeter thick. It was black graphene with a tube around the inside that held his web formula, save for a ¼-inch section in the middle of his wrist where he placed a small sensor. 

When Peter drew back his wrist the sensor would detect the motion and release the webs until he brought his wrist back. Unlike the ones in his suit, there was no button in the palm of his hand, these were much more simplistic and meant for emergency use. When Mr. Stark had first seen the prototypes that afternoon of Bruce’s visit he had clapped Peter on the back and demanded they get to see the rest of his ideas. 

Both men looked through Peter’s schematics while offering their own ideas and observations until the spider heard the elevator open on their level. Peter watched with interest as someone came  _ through the wall _ rather than the open door. He openly gaped at the new arrival, shocked to find that it was Vision who rarely strayed down to the labs for reasons all his own. 

“Tony, Ms. Potts requires the three of you for dinner. She said that if you were not in your chairs in the next five minutes then you would all be banned from the lab for the rest of the week,” Vision stated succinctly, his eyes wandering to Peter who was still watching him in awe. “Young Parker, nice to see you again. I have been away, but I welcome you to the Tower.” 

“It’s nice to see you again too, Mr. Vision!” Mr. Stark had snorted from behind the boy as he shut down the hologram. 

“I’m takin’ you out of the will, Pete, I should be your favorite.” 

“That’s okay, Mr. Stark, I’m pretty sure I’m still in Pepper’s at least.” That earned him a swat to the back of his head but it only made him laugh. 


	4. I'm a bad bird you can't kill me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Roomba's name is Thelonious, like Thelonious Jagger, but without the Jagger

Peter met Rhodey next who liked Peter almost immediately because he was the opposite of Mr. Stark apparently which made him beam. He liked Rhodey, he was Mr. Stark’s oldest friend and Peter knew he genuinely cared about the older man. It had only been for a handful of minutes when Three weeks after that he met Sam and Clint. 

He had been in the gym after a particularly rough day with Flash Thompson, resident asshole, and wanted to work out his remaining anger-slash-annoyance when he met Clint Barton. The spider had been in the Powered-Up gym where specially made drones were flying overhead, keeping his aim and reflexes sharp, when a yelping body dropped from the ceiling vent above. Peter had reacted out of instinct and webbed the intruder down with his face against the stone floor, hands out to his sides. 

Peter had kept his arm outstretched as he crouched down beside the man, watched him struggle against the webbing, and asked, “Who are you?” 

“Uh, Clint?” Peter recognized that voice and his demeanor changed almost immediately.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Mr. Hawkeye!” he exclaimed as he quickly ripped the webbing off his wrists and offered his hand, “I didn’t really see your face, just a, ya know, screaming body.” Peter pulled him up with ease and scratched at the back of his neck sheepishly. 

“No worries, kid,” Clint had replied with a carefree smirk, “I was lookin’ for Sam, seen ‘im? Has metal wings, kind of annoying?” 

“No, sir. But I know someone who might.” Then, Peter looked to the ceiling. “FRIDAY?”

“Yes, Mr. Parker-Stark?” The spider flushed at the AI’s greeting and turned to face Clint again.    
  


“Mr. Stark thinks he’s funny,” was the only reply he had offered as he continued, “FRIDAY, is the Falcon in the Tower?” 

“Mr. Wilson is currently on the communal floor. Would you like me to get his attention?” Clint grinned at Peter and shook his head, knowing the AI could see the motion.

“No, thank you, FRI.” Peter said as he watched the archer enter the elevator. The spider returned to his training but found that he couldn’t concentrate, curiosity gnawing at him as he wondered why Clint wanted Sam. With his mind made up, Peter disabled the drones and made his way onto the attached balcony where he climbed his way up to the communal floor. 

Slipping in through an open window, Peter found himself face-to-face with a kitchen covered in cerulean glitter. It coated the walls, the counter tops, and even parts of the ceiling. In the center of the mess was a grinning Clint and an obviously annoyed Sam covered in the glitter from head to toe. 

“Should I get the roomba?” Clint had laughed uproariously at Peter’s question and even Sam cracked a smile despite having glitter where it should not be. The three became the most involved in prank wars, Peter’s being of a more sophisticated nature in comparison to theirs. The most memorable was when the spider programmed FRIDAY to play theme songs for each of the Tower’s inhabitants entering the building just two weeks after the three became friends. 

Mr. Stark’s had obviously been Black Sabbath’s Iron Man, mainly because he had an immense hatred for it and glared at the ceiling whenever it played. Pepper’s had been Boss Bitch by Doja Cat because duh, she was indeed a boss bitch. Clint’s was Phoenix by Fall Out Boy because it gave Peter the same vibes. For Natasha he used Confident by Demi Lovato and she strutted with the beat whenever she entered the lobby. Wanda chose Lady Gaga’s Applause, though Peter hadn’t known if there was a connection. Sam’s had been Hello by OMFG because it annoyed him as well and his head hung every time it played. Lastly, the spider had found an old recording of Mr. America’s actual theme song, Star Spangled Man With a Plan, and he had caught the soldier humming it under his breath numerous times. In the end, Peter chose not to do Bruce as the man would have been uncomfortable with any type of attention. The others were fair game though. 

They got Peter back for it. Clint managed to rig a confetti cannon in his locker that went off in-between classes while Sam had filled his backpack with silly string and glitter, which he didn’t realize until he got to school. Needless to say, it was hard trying to explain to Mr. Harrington why he had silly string rather than his homework. 


	5. The birth of the Meme Twins

Meeting King T’Challa and Shuri had been two sides of the spectrum, awkwardly formal and oddly crazy. T’Challa had appeared at the tower out of the blue one day, his personal Dora Milaje group surrounding him on three sides as he strode into the lobby with all the grace of a, well, a panther. Peter had been waiting for the personal elevator when he saw the man. The king was imposing in his formal Wakandan-wear as he was in his panther suit, but he only smiled politely at Peter as he approached. 

“Young Spider, a pleasure to see you again under better circumstances.” 

“You too, King Black Panther T’Challa Sir,” Peter said happily, ignoring the older man’s snort, “how are you? Are you here to see Mr. Stark?”

“No, Spider, I am here to see you.” 

“Whatever it is, I didn’t do it,” Peter stated as he stepped backward into the elevator with King T’Challa following behind him.

“So you did not send me an email asking for some Vibranium with a picture of you doing what Shuri calls “puppy eyes”?” 

“Wait, that was totally me. Why?” 

“Because I have decided to grant your request. You gave me valid reasons for the use of it and my sister, Shuri, demanded I bring it to you in person so she could accompany me on this trip,” the king replied with a natural smile, “I believe she wants to study you and offer “helpful” suggestions.” Peter had a bad feeling about the way he said helpful but chose not to comment on it. 

“Wow, um, I would like to meet her too? Do you want to go to Mr. Stark’s lab? It’s private and stuff.” 

“That would be acceptable, Young Spider.” Peter resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the dumb address. The elevator rose to the private labs, and the webslinger lead King T’Challa to the end of the hall, where Mr. Stark was already hard at work at his table. He didn’t notice the new arrivals until Peter walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder, narrowly catching the man’s hand when he swung backward. 

“Hi, Mr. Stark, look who I found!” He looked between Peter and the king before smirking at the boy.

“Where did you find him?”

Peter didn’t hesitate in saying, “In a box outside. I couldn’t leave him, Mr. Stark.” The two shared a small smile. 

“Sorry, what can I do for you, T’Challa?” The king withdrew a journal-sized box from inside his coat and offered it to Peter. “You came here just to make my boy a sugar baby?” Peter had blushed at Mr. Stark calling him  _ his _ but quickly looked away to hide his flushed cheeks. 

“No, your spider asked me for Vibranium in the use of his new suit, and I am here to oblige his request. This is what I brought to begin, but if he requires more, then it will be provided.” Peter beamed at the panther and pulled the top off the box, fingers scrabbling at the lid in excitement until his eyes take in the glowing blue ore. 

“Thank you so much, King T’Challa sir, I really appreciate this!” 

“Of course, Young Spider. I look forward to seeing your new suit in action, though hopefully not in battle.” The panther returned Peter’s smile though it did not have the same intensity. “Stark, a word, if you please.” While they went off, the webslinger ran a hand through his messy curls and pulled up the hologram for his new suit. It was time to start fabrication. 

The webslinger worked through the night to Pepper’s immense chagrin, but his suit was complete. Rather than the traditional look, Peter used a blue so dark it appeared to be black and a garnet shade of red. With a thin sheet of Vibranium mixed with graphene built between the layers of the suit, it now offered the young man the same level of mobility but with added protection. 

As Peter donned the new suit in the privacy of his personal lab, he watched his reflection in the mirror. The darkened fabric melded to his body like a second skin, showcasing Peter’s muscular figure to the point that he was practically on display. He studied himself and each of the changes he had made to the suit. 

A big one was his mask. He had decided to switch it out for a hood with clasps that detached with enough force and a half-mask that covered the bottom part of his face. It was a light and breathable material, unlike the Winter Soldier’s muzzle, but it still allowed Peter anonymity. Webbing-like material stretched from his wrist down to his calves at the push of a button on his wrist that would enable him to glide long distances. Something else that he added was a utility belt that clipped to a set of clasps on his hips and could detach and fold into a neat square that sat in the secret compartment in the bottom of his backpack. 

Originally it was to be attached to the suit, but Peter thought better of it when he realized it would make folding the suit awkward. There were three small compartments on either hip and a clasp in the middle with his signature spider insignia. The compartments would eventually hold numerous gadgets, but for now, they remained empty. 

Peter’s head whipped to the open door as he heard three sets of approaching footsteps, recognizing one as the swagger of Mr. Stark while the other two were unfamiliar. As he was plucking the hood back to reveal his unruly curls, the familiar figure of Mr. Stark strode through the door, followed by King T’Challa and a small woman trailing behind him. 

“Hey, Pete, suit’s lookin’ good. Did the mesh work?” The mask followed the hood, and Peter grinned at the trio. 

“Yep, still got full mobility and everything.” To prove his point, the webslinger leaned to the side in a vertical split. He held it for a few seconds before straightening back up. “You must be Princess Shuri; I’m Peter, Peter Parker.” 

“I know.” The young woman moved closer to him and studied the new suit with a critical eye. “What did you use to make the Vibranium less rigid?” 

“Uh, graphene, strongest material yet still flexible.” Princess Shuri hummed and grabbed his wrist to study the opening where his web-shooters rested inside the suit. 

“You don’t produce your webs?” Mr. Stark chuckled behind the pair and met Peter’s eyes for a split-second before he and the king exit the room almost silently. 

“No, I use a specially made formula, contrary to what Jonah Jameson believes I am not actually half spider,” he said with a cute smile, even if he severely disliked Jonah. “Is there something you wanted specifically? Like, to see or ask me?” 

“How high can you jump? From the ground without any initial velocity?” Peter glanced to the ceiling that was about twelve feet above them and hopped upward, his feet sticking to the stone. “Oh my god, he on X-Games mode.” That reference was the start of the Meme Twins. (An King T’Challa’s worst nightmare)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peter's new suit is what my spidey-sona would look like. I'd draw it if I could but I cannot draw anatomy. If someone put a gun to my head and told me to draw someone I would just let them shoot me tbh.


	6. Steeb and Bonky: The Gay Misadventures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y'all I found that the Peter/Pepper/Tony ship could be called Pepterony and Idk if I like it. It doesn't have the same vibe as Stucky or Spideychelle, but it's still better than nothing. Anyways, I thrive on comments and likes because I didn't get validation as a child, so maybe someone could, idk, possibly validate me now. That would be great for my quarantine mentality homies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Russian? Google Translate, y'all already know lmao. Do not come at me for Google's bad translations at the bottom lmao

The Tower was oddly quiet once Shuri, or as Peter liked to call her, that Liberian Bad Bitch, departed with her brother. The next ~~_victim_ ~~person to meet Peter’s rays of sunshine was Captain Steve Rogers. It was over a year after the civil war and there was no longer a palpable amount of tension between America’s Ass and Tony Stark. The pair could joke, well, Mr. Stark would tease and Mr. America would accept it with a grudging smile. In comparison to before, it was progress. 

Surprisingly enough, Peter hadn’t actually ran into Mr. America in the year that he had been living at the Tower. He knew that the supersoldier stayed on his floor with Mr. Bucky while he acclimated to no longer being under Hydra’s control, so Peter understood. 

In the end, Peter met Captain America, officially, after a battle. 

Robots had invaded near Midtown, most likely the doing of Doctor Doom, and Peter had obviously been the first on the scene. He had escaped with the rest of his class and ducked into an alleyway where he donned his suit with the aid of his watch, courtesy of the combined genius of Mr. Stark and Shuri. Safely in his suit, Peter ran back into the fray while he waited for the rest of the team. 

The robots went after civilians and the webslinger had a hard time keeping track of everyone. Thankfully, he wasn’t alone for too long. Mr. Stark had dropped down beside him and blasted one of the robots, leaving a hole in its chest that sizzled along with the jagged metal. The fight was brutal. More bots appeared quicker than they were taking them out, but they continued to fight. At some point, Peter found himself back to back with the captain in the middle of the street, the older man attempting to help the passengers out through the emergency exit while Peter kept the bots at bay to the best of his abilities. 

They had gotten the last passenger out when Peter’s spidey sense went off and he had barely turned around in time to catch the car that was flying toward them. The boy grunted under the sudden weight of the Jeep as gravity pressed it toward the ground, but tossed it onto its side with a huff. 

“Thanks, Queens,” was all the captain said before jogging off toward the next metaphorical fire. The fight raged for what seemed like hours before they got to the final wave of bots, but Peter felt the familiar satisfaction once it was finally over. His suit was mostly undamaged despite the beating he took, but his body was another story. Peter had already begun to feel the bruises that darkened the flesh of his abdomen and chest as he swung back to the Tower. 

When he landed on the balcony alongside Mr. Stark they found Pepper waiting nervously in the kitchen, but once she had caught sight of them it seemed to dissipate. 

“You’re okay,” she said, the relief evident in her voice. 

“Course we are, Pep.” Mr. Stark stepped out of the suit and she practically leapt into his arms, uncaring of the sweat and grime that covered him. Peter had felt awkward standing there so he began to move, but as he turned he felt a dainty hand rest on his shoulder. 

“You are not getting out of this either, Peter, come here.” So he let Pepper pull the hood and mask down and embrace him. Her arms were surprisingly strong and Peter had to stop himself from collapsing against her. He knew that this wasn’t helping with his...crush, but he basked in it nonetheless. “I’m glad you’re okay too.” His heart was beating a wild song in his chest even after she let go of him to kiss her husband, to which he turned away with flushed cheeks. He pretended not to notice the knowing look on Mr. Stark’s face.

Peter escaped to his room under the guise of cleaning up, but really he just wanted a moment alone. He shut the door behind him and leaned back against it, eyes shut as he replayed the look on Pepper’s face in his mind, Mr. Stark’s lips curving up into that stupidly attractive smirk. He could feel the blood thumping in his ears as more images began to invade his mind. 

Mr. Stark in an oil-stained tank-top as he worked on the latest Iron Man suit. Pepper in a pair of baggy sweats and one of her husband’s band t-shirts, free of her make-up and carefully cultivated CEO mask. Mr. Stark’s hands resting on Pepper’s hips as she cooked breakfast, a carefree smirk on her lips as she swatted at him with the spatula when his hands began to stray. The domesticity of it killed him when the three of them would gather in the living room to watch a movie together, the married couple sprawling across the couch while Peter contorted in the armchair like a true bisexual. (i.e, in the oddest way possible) 

Peter banished those thoughts from his head and stumbled forward to finally collapse onto his bed. He didn’t bother taking off his suit as he nestled into the pile of blankets and pillows he hoarded and fell fast asleep before he could even think about setting an alarm.

Peter slept through the night and the next morning he felt well-rested. The room was silent and the windows remained tinted as his heightened senses got used to the onslaught of stimuli, but he kept his eyes shut just in case. 

“FRIDAY, what time is it?”

“It is nine twenty-seven, Mr. Parker-Stark.” Peter fell out of bad as he realized that he was late for school, legs tangled in his blankets. He practically slapped the spider on his chest to loosen the suit and tripped forward when yanking it off. “Mr. Parker-Stark, classes at Midtown School of Science and Technology have been cancelled due to the battle yesterday.” Peter froze, a pair of - hopefully -clean jeans halfway on, and slowly tilted his head toward the ceiling. 

“Cancelled?” 

“Yes.” 

“Like, I don’t go.”

“Yes, Mr. Parker-Stark.” Despite being artificial intelligence, Peter could hear the exasperation in FRIDAY’s voice. “Mrs. Potts-Stark is making breakfast on the communal floor when you are dressed.” Since the webslinger does not have to pretend to be average Peter B. Parker around his peers he trades the jeans for a pair of basketball shorts. Peter grabbed the sleeveless hoodie from the hook as he strode out of his bedroom, nearly bumping into the wall of the elevator as he pulled it over his head. 

Hood resting low on his head and hands jammed into the front pocket, Peter hummed to himself as the elevator descended to the communal floor. Before the doors even opened he could hear the sizzle of bacon in a pan and Mr. Stark’s boisterous voice, and smiled. Natasha and Bruce already sat at the table, both silently sipping from mugs while Pepper and Vision were busy cooking at the stove. Mr. Stark stood by Bruce at the coffeemaker talking animatedly about his latest idea but paused to smile at Peter when he finally noticed him. 

“Mornin’, Pete, want some juice?” 

“Nope,” the spiderling replied, popping the ‘p’ as he grabbed the mug from the man’s hands before he could react, “this will do.” Peter heard him murmur “brat” under his breath but only smiled in return. He sat down across from Natasha and offered her a nod in greeting. 

“Доброе утро, маленький паук.”

“Утро, мама паук,” Peter said happily as the caffeine began to kick in. Peter rested his chin on his palm as he observed, eyes settling on Mr. Stark first. His hair was tousled and he looked well resting, indicating that Pepper must have dragged him to bed after the battle. He looked softer, more relaxed to Peter’s trained eyes. Looking away from the man, he glanced toward Pepper. She was still dressed in her pajamas, a pair of maroon silk pants and an MIT t-shirt, curtesy of Mr. Stark, and she seemed ages younger as she spoke quietly with Vision. The young spider was startled from his thoughts by a nudge to his calf. 

“Вы смотрите.” Peter flushed at being caught and mock-glared at the redheaded spy. 

“Я не закрываю это.” 

“Вы бы предпочли глаз?” He tossed a grape at her from the bowl at the center of the table but she dodged it smoothly. Peter opened his mouth to refute her words but Mr. Stark beat him to the punch.

“You two know we hate it when you talk in your secret language, it always feels like you’re planning something,” the older man stated pointedly, gesturing with his mug. Peter rolled his eyes at his dramatics but secretly smiled behind his fingers at the teasing. 

After breakfast Peter stuck around to help Bruce with dishes before escaping to his private lab to work on his blueprints. Mr. Stark had a slew of unavoidable meetings on his agenda so the floor was oddly silent when he exited the elevator, no rock music or the subtle buzz of machinery to greet him. Peter expected to be alone for at least a few hours, but not thirty minutes later he heard the elevator approaching his floor and then the doors sliding open. The footsteps were quick and light and stopped just outside the open door. 

The webslinger slowly turned around and, surprisingly, found the Winter Soldier staring at him from the doorway. “Oh, morning, Sergeant Barnes, Mr. Stark isn’t here right now but I can leave a message if you’d like.” He shook his head, his dark hair waving like a curtain. “Uh, did you just wanna hang out down here? It’s pretty quiet, I don’t play music or anything because I tend to get distracted and start singing when I should be working.” Peter took in a deep breath and tried not to think too much into the slightly scared expression on the man’s face. 

“I-” he swallows once, twice, and then met Peter’s eyes for the first time, “I wanted to thank you. For havin’ Stevie’s back.” His voice was low and slightly gruff from underuse but Peter heard him clearly and beamed.

“No problem, sergeant, it’s what a team’s for after all,” the teen said, his tone soft so he didn’t spook the former Hydra captive. When Sergeant Barnes made no move to leave, Peter gestured unsurely to the stool that Ned or Natasha usually occupied when they visited him in the lab. “Would you like to stay? I mean, you don’t have to, but I mean, you can. If you wanted.” The spiderling tried to stress the fact that it was _entirely_ up to the man in the subtlest way possible, but subtlety wasn’t exactly Peter’s best gift. 

Peter gave Sergeant Barnes one last smile before slowly turning back to face the hologram of his blueprints for his first gadget, Spider Drone. It was small, barely the size of his fist, but it would pack a punch when finished. 

“Что это такое?” The question came out in Russian so Peter replied with the same, turning his head to peer at him. 

“Беспилотный, это поможет, когда в меньшинстве.” 

“Ты знаешь русский?” The surprise in his voice lead Peter to assume that the sergeant hadn’t meant to speak in the foreign language. 

“Да, Наташа научила меня,” Peter replied, “Тебе нравится наука?” The supersoldier nodded once and slowly moved forward to perch on the stool. 

“Да, я и Стиви отправились на Старк Экспо, прежде чем я отправил. Половину из того, о чем он говорил, не понял, но все равно было аккуратно.” It seemed to Peter that he was more comfortable and talkative when using Russian so he decided to keep it going. 

“Вы когда-нибудь хотели попробовать это?” 

“Нет, я предпочитаю наблюдать.” Peter hummed and connected that to his training as the Winter Soldier. He turned back around and got to work, doing his best to ignore the former soldier’s heavy gaze on him. 

As usual, Peter got lost in his own head as he worked. He felt the smooth metal under his fingertips, smelled the electricity as he soldered circuits. It was nice and he hoped that the man behind him wasn’t bored and staying out of obligation. 

“Hey, Peter, have you-” The teen is thrown from his hyper focused state by the sudden voice and whips around, nearly dropping the screwdriver in his hand, “- seen Bucky.” The soldier slipped off the stool and slinked toward the large blond with the grace of a cat. 

“Yeah, he’s right there, Mr. America. He’s been chillin’ down here since, uh, since he arrived.” As he didn’t know how long he had been at work, Peter fudged his answer. Twelve years in the American education system did nothing for his grammar or time management skills. 

“Chilling…” The way Mr. America said it, he sounded almost awed. “I just came to find him for lunch, you’re welcome to join us, if you’d like.” Peter shook his head and motioned to the organized chaos on his table. 

“No, thank you, Mr. America.” Then, turning to Sergeant Barnes he said, “Feel free to come back any time, Sergeant, I like the company.” 

“Call me Bucky.” Peter grinned at the man, and the obvious friendship that could be blooming, but paused when they were halfway out the door. 

“Wait, Mr. Bucky, have you ever thought about putting magnets on your arm?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Доброе утро, маленький паук. - Good morning, little spider. 
> 
> Утро, мама паук. - Morning, mama spider.
> 
> Вы смотрите. - You are staring. 
> 
> Я не закрываю это. - I am not, shut it. 
> 
> Вы бы предпочли глаз? - Would you prefer ogling?
> 
> Что это такое? - What's that?
> 
> Беспилотный, это поможет, когда в меньшинстве. - A drone, it's to help when outnumbered. 
> 
> Ты знаешь русский? - You know Russian?
> 
> Да, Наташа научила меня. - Uh, yeah, Natasha taught me.  
> Тебе нравится наука? - You like science?
> 
> Да, я и Стиви отправились на Старк Экспо, прежде чем я отправил. - Yeah, me an' Stevie went to the Stark Expo before I shipped out.  
> Половину из того, о чем он говорил, не понял, но все равно было аккуратно. - Didn't understand half of what he talked about, but it was still neat. 
> 
> Вы когда-нибудь хотели попробовать это? - Did you ever want to try it?
> 
> Нет, я предпочитаю наблюдать. - No, I prefer to observe.


	7. The rise of a newfound sugar baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm starting to earn the sugar baby tag y'all. Hope y'all enjoy this mess, I like writing it well enough, so it will definitely get finished.
> 
> Also, this is skipping to the present time as Peter has met almost all of the Avengers.

In the spring of 2021, Peter B. Parker could admit that he had a little more than a crush on the Stark couple. He tried to keep it hidden, keep his emotions in check around them, but living with three spies meant nothing was hidden. Natasha had him pegged a few months ago, just after his eighteenth birthday. She told him that they were at least physically interested in him from their body language, but that did nothing to assuage the guilt that Peter felt whenever he looked at them. He just couldn’t be interested in someone his age, now could he?

Now, Peter just tried to cling to a sense of normalcy. He attended his senior year, hung out with Ned and MJ at the Tower whenever his schedule permitted, and did his best to avoid the couple. It hurt, but it was for the best. In time, Peter only hoped his feelings would fade and it would stop feeling like he was being gutted whenever he had to lie to them. Telling Mr. Stark he had too much homework to help him in the lab, saying he was too tired after patrol to watch Netflix with Pepper, it hurt worse each time. 

“God, Parker, why are you so mopey?” The spider looked up from his textbook at MJ’s voice and shrugged. “You’ve been acting like a kicked puppy since your birthday.” He tried to refute her point, but he knew it was true. Nothing bad had happened at his party, per se, it had even been nice. 

Mr. Stark had thrown a party, invited Peter’s friends and catered enough to feed three of him, on the communal floor. At first it had been fun as he danced around with Shuri and Ned, but then it came time to open presents. Mr. Stark had gotten him an upgraded watch that was still compatible with his suit and it had made his cheeks flush at the thought behind it. Pepper had bought a pair of custom Spiderman-themed Converse that still sat untouched in his closet but warmed his heart each time he saw the box. Those gifts weren’t what started his emotional stagnate, it was the one that came after everyone left and they returned to the penthouse. 

He had thanked the pair profusely on the ride up to their floor and adored the matching smiles they sported. 

“It’s no problem, Pete, but the real gift is here,” Mr. Stark said as he grabbed something from the coffee table. It was a thick file with numerous papers stuffed inside, but what caught Peter’s eye was the Stark Industries logo across the top. 

“Is this when you make me legally change my name to Parker-Stark?” the new adult joked, but they must feel differently from the way their heartbeats jump almost simultaneously in Peter’s ears. 

“Nah, kid, this is a bit more serious. We had this same conversation with Harley a few years back, and now it’s your turn.” Peter had heard of Harley Keener, Mr. Stark’s saving grace from Tennessee. “Do you want to sit?” 

“Uh, I thought we already talked about me not going to MIT, Mr. Stark. It’ s just too far from everything.” Everything = too far from you two.

“No, this is about the future. Like I said, we talked to Harley but he declined, he’s not very people-oriented after all.” Both men ignored Pepper’s snort. Everyone knew Harley was an acquired taste by now. “We want you to take over Stark Industries now that you’re eighteen.” Peter’s heart stopped in his chest. 

“You want me to _what_ now?” Pepper stepped closer to the spider and rested a dainty hand on his broad shoulder. 

“We would like you to be the successor to Stark Industries, to be owner as Tony is now.” 

“What if you ever had kids?” 

“We will still own a good portion of the shares that would eventually become theirs, but we want any possible children to make their own way,” Pepper explained simply, the pressure of her hand grounding him. Peter is silent for what feels like ever but he knows it’s only two beats of his heart. 

“Why me?” Mr. Stark’s hand clapped down on his opposite shoulder and his thumb rubbed slightly. 

“Because I trust you, Pete. I know you will do right by this company and this world when I retire.” He said _will_ . Not _might_ but _will_. 

“C-can I have some time to think about this?” He heard their hearts thumping rapidly, both obviously nervous or something akin to that, but they nodded nonetheless. 

“Of course, Peter, take all the time you need,” Pepper said eventually, “this is a big decision after all.” Mr. Stark had pressed the file into his hands so Peter took that as a sign he could go. He escaped to his bedroom and tossed the file half-heartedly onto his desk, papers fanning out across the glass as he began to climb the walls. The penthouse had the same high ceilings that the rest of the Tower did so Peter had webbed himself a hammock by the window to think. 

Coming out of the memory, he realized he never answered MJ’s question. 

“I’ve not been moping,” was all he could say. MJ rolled her eyes as she ignored Mr. Harrington’s glance and arched a brow at the teen. 

“You look like someone told you they were discontinuing Legos, Parker, so ‘fess up.” Sadly, there wasn’t really anything to confess too besides having a largely inappropriate crush on a married couple who apparently only wanted him physically. Just over seven months since they offered the change in ownership and those papers still remained, untouched and unsigned, on his desk. 

“Nothing to say, MJ, it must be senioritis or something.” She obviously didn’t believe him but didn’t press the topic for which he was grateful. The bell rang, signalling the end of last period, and Peter stood but quickly sat back down at the teacher’s insistence. 

“Now, I know you guys are eager to leave and start your weekend but there is one announcement I need to make,” Mr. Harrington said to everyone’s chagrin. “Every year the graduating class goes on a special trip and this year we have been offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is two months away but there is no risk of forgetting with all the paperwork we have to send out regarding the trip. Yes, Miss Moon?” 

“Where are we going?” 

“That is a surprise, but you will have all other relevant details by the time it rolls around.”

“When is it exactly?” Peter silently thanked Ned for asking. 

“The twenty-fourth, the day before graduation.” Someone groaned under their breath and the spiderling was sorely tempted to echo the sentiment. Mr. Harrington dismissed them after that and Peter made a quick getaway to the front of the school. With being a senior Mr. Stark no longer felt that he needed Happy to pick him up, but he still had to wait for Ned and MJ to meet him out front so they could walk to the Tower. He pulled on a pair of sunglasses, another gift from Mr. Stark as if being offered his company wasn’t enough, and tapped the button on the side. 

“Welcome, Mr. Parker-Stark.” He made it a point to ignore the nickname as Karen spoke. “Mr. Stark would like to schedule a meeting with you.” Peter’s brows furrowed in confusion as he leaned against the stone wall. 

“Schedule a meeting? With _me_? Why?” 

“He said, “since you are always unavailable otherwise, a meeting would probably work better.” Would you like me to set a time?” His chest twinged painfully and shook his head.

“No, um, I’ll talk to him soon.” With that, he deactivated the glasses and tucked them into the pocket of his hoodie, his fingertips toying with the ear piece absently before he plucked his phone from his back pocket. It was the latest StarkPhone, obviously, and it worked even better than its practically-perfect predecessor. 

“Yo, Penis,” the teen’s mood plummeted at the sudden arrival of Flash and steeled his nerves, “how did _you_ get that phone?” Exhaling deeply, Peter slowly turned to face the swaggering human. 

“You keep conveniently forgetting that I work at Stark Tower, Flash.” The other boy rolled his eyes and stopped just a few feet in front of the webslinger. 

“Yeah, because we all believe that,” he scoffed. Peter glanced over Flash’s shoulder to see Ned and MJ approaching and breathed a sigh of relief. “I bet you got on your knees for it, huh, Parker? Maybe you are getting pretty _personal_ with Tony Stark.” His entire body heated at the bully’s implications and shook his head. He could only wish to be on his knees for him, either of them really. 

“No, he just appreciates the work I do,” Peter replied, trying his hardest to keep his voice steady. 

Flash smirked and ran a hand through his dark curls, “I bet he does, Penis. Later, dickwad.” Peter watched him swagger off toward his father’s car and shook his head because God did he really hate him. He just kept telling himself it would only be two more months, that’s one month twice. 

“What did Flash want?” Ned questioned when they reached Peter, his eyes showing his obvious concern but the spider only shrugged. 

“The usual, thinks I sucked Mr. Stark’s dick for my phone,” he stated. 

“Did you?” MJ asked, her tone indifferent as they walked. It took every bit of Peter’s restraint not to say, “No, but I wish I had”. 

“Of course not, he doesn’t see me like that, MJ,” came out instead. Her deep brown eyes looked to him sharply and Peter was mildly unsettled under her gaze. 

“You want him to though.” Her statement made his blood freeze like a Slurpee in his veins. “You know, maybe you should look into being Mr. Stark’s sugar baby. Prove Flash right and all that.” 

“Ah, yes, and add to his already over-inflated ego,” Ned commented with a small smile as they rounded the corner. 

“Yeah, plus, Mr. Stark is married.” 

“Be both of theirs then.” It’s said so casually like MJ isn’t suggesting that Peter exchange sexual favors for money and/or gifts. From the hottest power couple ever. 

But, the closer they got to the Tower the more the idea began to appeal to the teen. It could be the only way to stay close to them while not revealing his true feelings. When they stepped into the air-conditioned lobby, Peter vowed to begin his research on being a sugar baby in the morning. 


	8. The Itsy Bitsy Sugar Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Idk why, but I do have a thing for like the sugar baby trope. Anyways, this has become longer than I intended but I have no intention of stopping because I like it, so fuck it lets keep it goin'. Also, creative titles ain't really my thing if you couldn't tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, the dance I thought of was to the same song on YouTube and a dancer named Sergio, I think. I can't remember his last name tbh.

A week later, Peter was sure he knew all about being a sugar baby. In theory. Some things wouldn’t be applicable to him if he actually went through with this, such as a formal contract or attending events. The longer he looked at the website pulled up on his laptop, the more Peter realized that he wouldn’t really fit this definition of a sugar baby, but it would work. 

It’s early Sunday morning, the rest of the Tower is still asleep, so Peter decided to sneak down to the studio. It had become a solace of sorts, to find himself in the open studio before the sun rose. Since moving in three years ago Peter spent more time dancing than before. He choreographed routines, leaned new styles, but always came back to ballet. 

Peter had changed into a pair of tights before he left the penthouse and next went his t-shirt, tossed half-heartedly into a corner. “FRIDAY, please queue my latest project.” The spider closed his eyes and let his mind drift to the opening notes of Hozier’s “Take Me to Church”. 

The music was louder to Peter than it really was, so he blamed not hearing Natasha come in on the volume. He was lying on his back, chest heaving as the music stopped, when she started clapping. Peter rolled to his feet with ease and faced the redhead, his body flushed and not just from the exertion of dancing. 

“What is on your mind,  маленький паук?” Peter stared at her for a minute, weighed the pros and cons of telling her, and then decided that honesty was the best option. 

“I want to be a sugar baby.” To her credit, the only sign she gave of her surprise was a slight blip in her heartbeat. 

“Tony’s sugar baby.” It’s not a question.” 

“And Pepper’s,” he added. This time, Natasha is noticeably surprised. 

“Both?” 

“Am I greedy?” Peter asked quietly, eyes downcast as he felt the guilt pooling in his gut. Natasha strode toward Peter and tilted his chin up with one finger to meet her green eyes. 

“Wanting you want does not make you greedy, маленький паук,” the former spy said, her thumb pressing into Peter’s jaw gently. “Now, why do you wish to be a sugar baby?” 

The teen turned toward the window and watched the sun rise for a second. “I want to be close to them, but they don’t want to be with me they way I want. This is the best solution.” Peter ran his hand through his damp curls with a huff. “But if this ended badly, well, I don’t know what I would do without them.” 

“Is this why you have been avoiding them?” Peter winced and shrugged his shoulders in reply. “Well, I suggest you make it known that you want to be theirs.” She doesn’t say sugar baby at the end and he doesn’t correct her. 

“How exactly do I do that? I’m not exactly the most subtle.” The spiderling was even known for being fairly obvious outside of missions. 

“You’ll have to try then,” she said with a half-shrug, “make comments, drop hints. Make it seem like it’s their idea so they approach you, which leaves the power in your hands.” 

“That’s it?” Natasha hummed and looked him up and down with a skeptic’s eye. 

“You have a nice body, Peter, use it. No one is immune to your smile either. Use your body to your advantage, watch how they respond to certain things such as how you turn or stretch.” The thought of flaunting his body made Peter slightly uncomfortable. The webslinger knew he was attractive in a physical sense, but he didn’t want to be desired just for his body. Peter sighed but set his shoulders in determination. 

“Thanks, мама паук,” he said, “I think I’m gonna stay down here a bit longer.” Natasha left with a nod and a small smile, once again leaving Peter to his thoughts. The next song that plays is more upbeat and faster, Adore You. As he was moving, an idea came to him. Peter knew he needed to design a new set when he had FRIDAY pause the music. 

“Mr. Parker-Stark, you are being requested for breakfast at the penthouse.” An excuse was on the tip of his tongue, but Peter set his shoulders and nodded. Better start his plan sooner than later if he wanted to become their sugar baby before he was thirty. Conveniently “forgetting” his t-shirt, the spiderling stepped into the elevator and nervously tapped his foot as he ascended. Peter froze for a second before the doors slid open, almost rethinking his plan, but then shook his nerves away and stepped into the living room. 

He could hear Pepper and Mr. Stark in the kitchen and took a deep breath before stepping inside. Immediately the pair turned to face him and he could feel the blush staining his cheeks as they looked him up and down. Peter caught his reflection in the window and could only wonder what they thought. A light sheen of sweat covered his chest and his skin was flushed. To anyone who didn’t know him, it looked like he just had sex. 

“Morning.” Pepper swallowed, her eyes dipping downward for a split-second, and then smiled. 

“Good morning, Peter. Pancakes or waffles?” 

“Waffles,” he replied without thought, noticing the bag of chocolate chips beside her. Thinking on what Natasha said, Peter stepped toward the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. He twisted off the cap and tilted his head back to drain the bottle, going slower than usual as he made eye contact with Mr. Stark. 

The older man shifted in his stool and adopted a casual smirk. “Plans for the day?” Peter couldn’t admit that he would be creating choreo designed to seduce him and his wife, so he shook his head. 

“Working on some stuff in the lab mostly.” Mr. Stark hummed as Pepper sat a plate down in front of the teen but went back to focusing on his StarkPad. Peter dug into his food and stared past the man at Pepper. The sweatpants she was wearing were loose on her, rolled at the waist but still falling low on her hips.  _ Hm. _

After breakfast the men do the dishes, Peter dried while Mr. Stark washed, and then Peter headed for his room. He grabbed his wireless earbuds from his backpack and queued a playlist of songs he had looked at a few days ago, but his eyes settled on the file. Peter opened it and with a deep exhale, began to read through it as he searched for a song. It took him a little over a half hour to read everything and then he was staring at the line where his signature would go. 

Grabbing a red pen from off the floor, Peter pressed the nib to paper but he froze.  _ Is this the right decision?  _ He though to himself,  _ is this what I really want?  _ His mind supplied the answer almost immediately. Yes, this is what he wanted. Peter wanted to be with them in whatever capacity. So, he signed. There, on that daunting black line, he signed his name in his messy scrawl. 

He stared at it for a moment more, unsure of what to do with the file now that he signed it. Finally, Peter decided to leave it for the moment and focus on his new routine as he finally found the perfect song. 

Roughly an hour later Peter believed he had a solid routine down and only needed to practice so it was perfect for them. So  _ he  _ was perfect for them. Now, to start planting clues for them to find. The spiderling knew that FRIDAY monitored all web searches in the Tower, and that Mr. Stark occasionally looked over his, so every site he visited yesterday about sugar babies was there for him to see, but he added one more so there is no way for the man to think he meant something else. 

_ How to become a sugar baby. _


	9. *Cue the Magic Mike music*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam Ferrari was the inspiration for this lmao. His dancing is pretty damn good ngl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Доброе утро, маленький паук. - Good morning, little spider.
> 
> Доброе утро, мама паук. - Good morning, mama spider.  
> Вы заняты сегодня? - Are you busy today?
> 
> Никогда не слишком занят для тебя, Питер. - Never too busy for you, Peter.
> 
> Мне нужно второе мнение о моей рутине, если можете. - I need a second opinion on my routine if you can.

Peter spent the next five days dropping what he hoped were subtle hints and perfecting his routine. Between school, working in the Tower, and patrols Peter stayed on the penthouse floor. He walked around in shorts mostly, the occasional pair of jeans if he just got back from school, and made sure at least one of them saw him. 

Peter made an offhand comment about wanting to be spoiled on Monday and he knew that Mr. Stark had seen his search history when he asked the teen if he meant like a sugar baby. The next day, he found a fifty in the secret pocket of his backpack. The webslinger kept this to himself, even from Ned and MJ, but he was practically bursting at the seams to tell someone. Hell, he wanted to tell everyone. 

Saturday had returned to Peter’s immense delight, but something that did not spark joy was the permission slip that Mr. Harrington had given them on their way out. It said parent or legal guardian, but with Aunt May gone and Peter being eighteen, he didn’t know what to do. The school obviously had the papers on his change in guardianship after May left for Italy, but that didn’t mean anyone believed that he was actually in the custody of that person. 

Peter had a feeling that if he had been given to Mr. Stark then they  _ might _ have believed him, but no, Aunt May chose to give him to Natasha. All because she was“the pretty redhead” who looked like “she could protect you, probably kill a man with her thighs”. Yeah, so when the principal had looked over the file he promptly laughed at seeing the Black Widow’s signature. Principal Morita had accepted it but Peter knew he joked about it with the staff whenever he saw the teen in the halls. One downside to enhanced hearing. 

So, Peter lied in bed and simply stared at the ceiling as he waited for the rest of the Tower to wake up. In all honesty, he didn’t even want to go on the field trip but he did want to spend time with his friends before he became too busy over the summer, so it was a sacrifice he was (mostly) willing to make. The fact that he also did not know where they were going did not help matters in the slightest. 

“Mr. Parker-Stark, Sergeant Broken White Boy is beginning breakfast on the communal floor if you would like to join him.” Peter rolled his eyes at the nickname but knew that Mr. Stark got it from Shuri’s last visit. He rolled out of bed with a justified groan and rooted around in his closet for a shirt because as confident as he was becoming around the couple that did not mean he would be undressed around the others. They were like his family and this was not the south. 

Finally settling on a tank-top, Peter pulled it on and made his way down to the other floor where Mr. Bucky was already standing at the stove with three pans frying. The spiderling knew better than to ask if he wanted help. The last time he tried anything in the kitchen they had to buy a new roomba, so they collectively decided not to leave Peter in the kitchen alone. Plus, he didn’t want to buy a Little Bastard 3.0. 

“Morning, Mr. Bucky,” he chirped as he grabbed a mug from the cabinet to the supersoldier’s left. 

“Mornin’, kid.” Peter thanked Thor that the former spy had made coffee and quickly poured himself a cup. He drank the first one black but took the time to add sugar and creamer to his second once the caffeine actually kicked in. After being up until two am this morning out on patrol, Peter figured he deserved at least another cup by the end of breakfast but was patient enough to wait for the others to have some as well. Hopefully. 

“Plans for the day?” 

“I’m gonna see if Natasha will come to the studio with me, I need her opinion on something.” Natasha was the only person who knew what he was doing and the only one he could ask for help with his routine that wouldn’t laugh at him. Mr. Bucky hummed in acknowledgement but didn’t say anything else, so Peter pulled out his phone to play a game until the others began to meander in. 

“Доброе утро, маленький паук.” 

“Доброе утро, мама паук,” Peter replied, practically preening as she ruffled his hair. “Вы заняты сегодня?”

Natasha smiled as she sat down beside him and said, “Никогда не слишком занят для тебя, Питер.” The webslinger smiled and brushed his curls from his eyes absently. 

“Мне нужно второе мнение о моей рутине, если можете.” Natasha grabbed the cup from his hands and took a slow sip, only to grimace when she realized it was black. 

“I’ll help. Even though you tried to poison me with your horrendous coffee.” Peter rolled his eyes and santched the mug back to drain the rest of the lukewarm liquid. 

“It’s black coffee, not arsenic.” Her green eyes squinted almost mockingly. 

“So you say, маленький паук.” Peter’s reply is halted by Mr. Bucky setting a plate of omelets down in front of him, the scent of perfectly cooked breakfast meat and cheese making his mouth water. The spiderling demolished two before Mr. Stark arrived, dragged in by the scruff of his jacket by Mr. America. Peter liked that jacket. It was a dark crimson with Stark witten in white over the heart in cursive. The gold pockets were slightly stained with oil from when he wore it working on his cars, but it only made him look more handsome in Peter’s eyes. 

After breakfast, Natasha and the webslinger take the elevator down to the studio with Bruce, Peter waving to the other man as the doors slid shut. 

“So,” the former spy asked as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed over her stomach, “what routine are you working on?” Peter wrung his hands in front of him nervously and pointedly avoided her gaze. 

“You can’t laugh, okay?” At her short nod, he continued. “You said to use my body, and dancing is the best way for me to do that. So, I designed a routine.” 

“Okay, show it to me,” Natasha said. Peter took a deep breath and FRIDAY began the music. His body moved of its own accord to the music as if on instinct and he thought it was going well, until the redhead held up her hand. “You’re too awkward.” 

“Yeah, I wonder why. I’m dancing provocatively while you watch my every move, of course I’m feeling awkward,” the webslinger grumbled, his own arms crossed over his chest as if hiding himself. 

“Play the part, Peter. Create a persona when you dance. You can’t be embarrassed about something  _ you _ didn’t really do.” 

“So, just pretend I’m someone else?” It sounded unrealistic to Peter, mainly because he got too far into his own head to think he was someone else. 

“Design a character and find what works for you. If you’re trying to seduce, become the epitome of lust and desire. Move the way you breathe, without effort.” 

“I used to have asthma though,” Peter pointed out with a slight frown. Natasha rolled her eyes and he knew that if she were closer that she would probably smack him upside his head. “Kidding, I get what you mean. I’ll give it a try, I guess.” The spider queued up the song once more and this time he closes his eyes.

Peter pictures himself in his mind. He would be strong and confident, nd move with the fluidity and grace of a cat. He was as Natasha said, he was the seducer. This time he got through the whole routine before he looked up at his guardian. 

She smiled and said, “Better, but you’re still hesitating. Your movements are stilted, like you are unsure of what to do next.” Peter frowned and tugged at the him of his tank-top absently as she spoke. “Don’t think that you are dancing for an audience, imagine you are dancing for yourself. Act the way you would want to see and let that be your guide.” Her advice made sense to him but he could only nod in response.

“Okay, I’ll work on it, thanks, маленький паук.” Natasha’s smile softened and she strode forward to brush his curls from his eyes in an almost motherly manner before she pulled him in for a hug. 

“They’re going to love it.” Peter flushed as she turned swiftly on the heel of her boot and ducked his head with a proud smile. The webslinger ran through it once more, feeling more comfortable alone, and decided he was ready. 

“FRIDAY, can you let me know when Mr. Stark requests to look at the feed from in here?” 

“Of course, Mr. Parker-Stark. I will delay the feed for the thirty seconds when Boss Man accesses these cameras,” the AI stated. 

“Thanks, FRI.” Peter tugged off the tank-top and tightened the laces of his Spiderman Converse nervously. It took over an hour before FRIDAY alerted Peter that Mr. Stark was accessing the feed, and the panic began to flutter in his chest. Ten seconds before the feed would return to normal the music began and Peter became the seducer. He hoped that he could entire Mr. Stark to keep watching. 

His hips rolled to the beat and the moves came as easily as breathing did. Confidence flowed through veins and the thought of Mr. Stark’s face as he watched the spider dance made him feel dizzy with desire. The webslinger felt each note deep in his bones and once the music faded out his all of his nerves still tingled with the residual excitement. Peter’s chest was heaving and his skin was warm, but not just from the dancing. With an added kick of bravery, Peter sent the camera a slow wink as he tried to slink toward the elevator like Natasha did. 

The spiderling went back to his room, despite every part of him wanting to Mr. Stark’s reaction, and collapsed onto the bed. His mind swam with possible outcomes until he felt like he would be sick. 

That night, when Peter went down to the communal floor for dinner he found that Mr. Stark refused to meet his eye. His eyes would dart to the teen whenever he thought that Peter wasn’t paying attention only to quickly look away with a flush to his cheeks. The spider smirked proudly alongside Natasha throughout the entire meal and met Pepper’s confused glances with a shrug, but he had a feeling he knew why Mr. Stark couldn’t look at him. Satisfaction thrummed in his body and he wondered if people felt like this all the time, or if it was simply the product of trying to seduce the hottest power couple in the game. 


	10. Peter Parker: Sugar Baby and Voyeur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So i've decided to use the fuck outta my Disney+ and watch all the Marvel movies from the start, might skip Civil War tho bc it makes me sad, and write this shit too. We gonna earn that M rating at some point too btw. I felt like it would be a weird power play if Tony had guardianship over Peter while also pursuing him so I made it Natasha, I think May would like her and it works.
> 
> Also, Peter Parker with tattoos. I read a fic where he was like tatted up and I dig that so I'm incorporating it :))
> 
> unrelated, if y'all want a really good starker fic, I highly recommend Disorder by @ironspiderling. It is phenomenal, I've read it twice in like three weeks. Simply amazing. TW: it does deal with eating disorders so if that's an issue then I recommend proceeding with caution. It was recently completed and it was such a good and rounded ending, I wish I could reread it like it was the first time.  
> They also write cute lil WinterSpider ficlets if that's your thing, I like those as well. Honestly, just check them out lol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The alternate title to this story was "Heartbeats in Sync"

“I’m trying to become a sugar baby.” Ned choked on the pizza he had taken a bite of and Peter clapped him on the back gently. MJ looked up from book and arched a brow. 

“Mr. Stark’s?” 

“And Pepper’s,” Peter added with a slight smile. That restarted Ned’s coughing and the spider was quick to hand him his bottle of water. “I need your guys help though. I want to drop hints while we hang out where they can overhear, if you’re up for it.” His two friends shared a look and then nodded simultaneously.   
  


“Sure, Parker, I’m curious to see how they react to your jailbait-looking ass.” It was Peter’s turn to splutter and cough at MJ’s unfortunate wording, not that Ned’s comment of, “Maybe they’re into that,” helped. The spider snatched his drink back and drained the rest of the bottle while mock-glaring at the pair. The rest of lunch progressed without incident, Flash even stayed on his side of the cafeteria. Classes were another story though. 

The bully pelted Peter with crumpled paper, muttered mocking nicknames under his breath, and worst of all did the same to Ned. Peter could take it, but his best friend shouldn’t have to. It made his blood boil but the webslinger couldn’t do anything other than clench his fists and count to ten in his head. Sometimes he thought about what it would be like to finally fight back, but then he remembered that with his strength it would be all to easy to literally crush Flash. 

Thankfully, the end of the day approached quickly and all that stood between Peter an enjoyable Wednesday evening was Mr. Harrington. 

“Alright, you guys, what I’m passing back are NDAs, they must be signed and turned in to me by Friday so they can be sent off.” The spider hummed and took the packet of paperwork from Abe, Peter’s curiosity multiplying tenfold as he flipped through it.  _ Wherever we’re going must be big to require this many non-disclosure agreements. Dear Thor, I hope it isn’t Oscorp. All I need is to get bit by something else.  _

Peter stuffed the packet into his bag as they began to leave and stepped into stride with Ned and MJ. The trio left quickly and stepped out onto the busy streets, heading toward the Tower at a leisurely pace while conversing about their day. 

“So, why do you want Mr. Stark to be your sugar daddy anyway?” Peter adjusted the straps of his backpack and looked to the passing cars. 

“It’s a compromise of sorts.” 

“And you  _ want _ to sleep with them?” 

Peter didn’t hesitate to reply with, “I would give up my suit to sleep with them.” He met Ned’s gaze head on, his words and tone deadly serious. The spider saw MJ roll her eyes but did not comment as they entered the lobby. The three waved to the security guard on duty, Robbie, as they walked through the scanners. 

“Michelle Jones, Alpha-3. No suspicious items detected. Welcome back, Miss Jones.” Ned was practically bouncing as he stepped through next despite having been to the Tower a million times before. “Edward Leeds, Alpha-3. No suspicious items detected. Welcome back, Nedward.” He and Peter shared a smile at the nickname and then Peter came through. 

“Peter Parker-Stark, Alpha-1. Three authorized items detected. Welcome back, Young Stark, would you like me to alert Boss Man of your arrival?” 

“Nah, FRIDAY, I’ll see him later. Thanks though.” As they entered the elevator, MJ turned to look at Peter. 

“What are the authorized items you carry?” 

“Oh, my suit, my watch, and the glasses with Karen in them. I’m not sure why the wristbands aren’t on that list but it is what it is,” the spiderling stated with a half shrug. The doors slid open on the penthouse level and Peter lead them to his bedroom, only peeking into the kitchen to see if anyone is there yet. He found Pepper sitting at the island surrounded by papers but ducked out of view before she saw them, not wanting to interrupt if she was busy. 

Peter flopped into his beanbag and kicked off his scuffed up Converse before squirming around to get comfortable. He kept the door open as part of his plan and watched as Ned took up residence at his desk and MJ on his bed. 

“So,” MJ began, “how exactly are we supposed to help you obtain sugar baby status?” The webslinger stretched back before answering, nearly hitting his head on the wall, and closed his eyes. 

“Just carry on the conversation, make your own comments. Just make it seem believable.” The topic changed to the field trip after that, each of them speculating where it could go until Peter heard light footsteps approaching. 

“You know,” he muttered, “I need new shoes.” He didn’t, not really. Peter could make a pair of shoe last upwards of three years and his current pair were only two years old, but he figured it was best to start small. 

“I would kill for a pair of Captain America Vans, Pete, he’s the coolest!” Ned gushed, his man-crush obvious. Peter could hear the heartbeat of whoever was standing outside his door, most likely Pepper, and smiled to himself.

“I would literally go down on someone if they bought me a new pair of Converse,” the webslinger stated without hesitation, grinning as he heard Pepper’s heart speed up. 

“Hah, what if Mr. Stark or Mrs. Potts bought you some?” Peter chuckled and looked Ned dead in the eye. 

“I said what I said, and I meant it.” Pepper barely muffled her gasp but it was still loud enough for him to hear, and her thundering heart was a dead giveaway if he hadn’t. 

“A new pair of Jordans would be pretty nice,” MJ put forth, a small smirk tugging at her lips as she tapped the cover of her book. 

“Poor kids from Queens gang.” She and Peter laughed but they knew he was right. They weren’t exactly living in poverty but none of them could afford to buy a new pair of shoes every year or go on vacations during breaks. It didn’t mean they were any less happy though either. To Peter, no amount of money could have brought his parents or his uncle back. No amount of money could ever make him happy. The spiderling shook his head to clear those thoughts and instead smiled at his two best friends, but kept his ear out as Pepper finally stepped into view.

“Hey, Ned, MJ, are either of you staying for dinner?” Her voice was slightly breathy as she spoke and Peter could see that her upper chest was flushed a delightful shade of pink that made the teen wonder if it went further. Swallowing, Peter crossed his ankle over his knee and smiled at the older woman as if he didn’t just say he would go down on her if she bought him shoes.  _ Hell, I would go down on her for free. Wait, not the time to think about that, bad Peter.  _

“Sorry, Mrs. Potts, my cousin is in town so we’re going out to dinner,” MJ said as she arched a questioning brow at Peter who could feel that he had turned bright red. 

“And my little sister is in the school play tonight, gotta cheer for her in the front.” Pepper nodded her understanding, still not looking anywhere near Peter, and continued past the doorway. They both looked to him and he waited until he heard her bedroom door shut before giving a curt nod that it was safe to talk.

“So, did she hear you? I mean, she didn’t look at you once.” 

“Yeah, definitely heard me.” The spiderling muttered. It was only a few minutes later that he heard the elevator doors open and then the quick footsteps that could only belong to Mr. Stark. The man walked briskly past the doorway and then stepped backward to lean his head in the doorway.

“Hey, kids, hope school was not as bad as I remember,” the three shared a look at that but said nothing as the man continued, “Pete, you’re in charge of dinner, order whatever you’re in the mood for.” Peter was sorely tempted to let out the full extent of his powers to see why Mr. Stark was in such a hurry, but reasoned that if he did then he would most likely go into sensory overload. Which sucked, big time. 

Ned and MJ hung out for a little while longer before having to get back to their respective houses, leaving Peter in the quiet tower. He could hear the low hum of the arc reactor that usually lulled him to sleep but now it just served as a distraction. With a frown, the webslinger placed an order for a few pizzas from his favorite joint down the street and then collapsed backwards onto his bed. 

His curiosity was eating at him. Mr. Stark had practically ran through the hall and the teen wanted to know why. With a deep breath, Peter slowly allowed his hearing to return to the normal level. Thankfully most of the Tower was soundproofed to the highest extent due to the enhanced that lived hear, so the loudest thing was the traffic on the streets below. As Peter didn’t usually allow himself to access the full extent of his gift it took a few minutes for him to settle on this floor, and then he had to sift through everything until he reached their room but what he heard made his entire body stiffen. 

It was a low moan, most definitely Pepper’s. He could hear the silk sheets rubbing together and the dirty things that Mr. Stark was muttering, each word turning Pepper  _ and _ Peter to mush. The man was breathing heavy, his voice almost an octave lower with arousal and the webslinger realized that he was hard just from hearing them together.  _ God, I would die if I ever got to  _ **_see_ ** _ them together.  _ That mental image alone wracked his body with shivers and he webbed the door shut with one hand while the other worked at the buckle of his belt, his own desire spurred by the soundtrack of their collective moans. 

After, once he regained control and shucked his sticky boxers, Peter expected to feel guilty.  _ I mean, you don’t jerk off to your mentor and his wife having sex and not feel guilty. Right?  _ He didn’t, not in the slightest. His body still tingled with the residual effects of a good orgasm and the satisfaction still flowing through him made the teen’s head feel fuzzy in the best way. Peter practically melted into his bed, skin too sensitive to even bother covering up his naked body with the blanket, and fell asleep with ease. 

The next morning he work up before his alarm and got dressed, leisurely pulling on a pair of skinny jeans and a t-shirt. He grabbed his beat up shoes and tugged them on as he hopped down the hall, only tripping once before he reached the kitchen. There was already a plate of eggs and bacon in front of his chair and Pepper smiled at him as he took a seat. Peter met her eyes and then quickly looked away for fear that she would see what he had done. Not because he was guilty, but because she might see what else he hid. 

While he ate, he took a minute to study the woman. She looked impossibly softer in the morning light, the rays of light surrounding her in an aura of warmth and highlighted her skin. Each freckle stood out in contrast to her fair skin and Peter found himself wishing to trace them with his tongue. He wondered what she tasted like. Would she moan the same way for him? Would she tug his -

“Wow, you must be hungry, Peter.” The teen was thrown from his less-than-appropriate thoughts by Pepper’s voice and looked down at his now empty plate. 

Glancing back up, he stared straight into her eyes and said, “I use my mouth for more than just sarcasm and epic quips.” 


	11. Respect the drip, Karen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay y'all, what is the line between M and E? It's very fine, and I don't want to stray into the E-rated category, ya know. Onward. The title came from that one Tik Tok and because they bought him shit, it works.
> 
> Hi, the book mentioned, Cakes and Ale, is actually pretty damn good. I read it in like fifth grade, so like at least six years ago, but I remember that I liked it. It definitely has the MJ vibe, so I recommend it.

Thursday morning, Peter found that his plan worked because sitting outside his bedroom door was three boxes. Jordans, Converse, and Vans. _Holy fuck, it worked…_

With a broad grin, Peter opened the Converse box and pulled out a pair of maroon washed high-tops, the scent of new shoes making him sigh happily. They went well with his dark jeans and telekinesis t-shirt but knew someone would notice the new kicks. Most likely, Flash. 

Peter stuffed the other two boxes into his backpack and left his room. He could hear the soft patter of rain outside as he stepped into the kitchen and found Pepper sitting at the island, surprisingly still in her pajamas. Peter listened to her heart rate spike as he opened the fridge and smiled to himself.

“Good morning, Peter.” 

“Morning, Pepper. Are you not going to work today?” The woman glanced up from her papers and smiled softly. 

“I’m flying to the Monaco branch in an hour, so technically yes. I’ll be driving you to school as well; it hasn’t stopped raining all night.” Peter watched her lips move more than he listened, and his mind supplied him with her sweet moans without his consent. 

“Oh, you don’t have to. I don’t mind walking.” Pepper slid from the stool with grace and patted Peter’s bicep gently.

“And I don’t mind to take you. Now, hurry up, we’re stopping for breakfast.” Peter watched her go, eyes drawn to her impossibly long legs, and shook his head. _Not the time, Parker._

They took the elevator straight down to the garage, and the teen hesitantly climbed into Mr. Stark’s Audi, though he was sure to hug his bag to his chest and keep his hands off anything. Breakfast turned out to be crepes from Creperie, nearly thirty minutes in the opposite direction of Midtown. 

“Do you think Ned and Michelle want something for breakfast, Peter?” Pepper asked as they both exited the car and crossed the street to the shop. 

“Oh, you don’t have to, Pepper, I was gonna share mine anyway,” the webslinger replied happily, his hands gripping the straps of his backpack tighter as she shook her head. 

“You need all those calories, plus I know that Michelle prefers savory to sweet.” Before he could answer or offer to pay, she turned to the cashier and placed their order and handed over a card without hesitation or even reading the total. Peter’s chest twinged at how well she knew him _and_ his friends to care enough to feed all three and know what they prefer. _Oh, Thor, you’re in over your head, Parker._

Two dulce de leche, one marshmallow and caramel, one strawberry-Nutella, two spinach and feta, and one turkey-bacon-swiss later the pair were on their way to Midtown High. Peter couldn’t stop smiling nor staring at Pepper when he thought she wouldn’t notice. He wondered what it would be like to be able to drop his hand on the exposed skin of her thigh. Nothing hinky, just feel her warmth underneath his fingertips and her tensing muscles as she drove. 

“Penny for your thoughts, Peter?” The teen blushed and turned his gaze toward the window. 

“Just thinkin’,” was all he could admit to. Pepper pulled up a little under half a block from the entrance and stopped, the soft smile gracing her pale pink lips serving to distract him further. Before he could stop himself, Peter leaned forward and pressed a lighting quick kiss to her cheek and threw out a “thank you” as he scrambled out of the car. Had the windows not been tinted, he would have seen her press her fingertips to the spot where his lips had landed dangerously close to the corner of her mouth and the absolute adoration in her eyes. (Sadly, he did not as that would be too easy)

Peter’s entire body had warmed despite the cold raindrops that hit his exposed arms, and he hoped that his friends wouldn’t notice. He walked briskly to the AcaDec room where they were having a meeting, one he was _nearly_ late too, and collapsed down beside Ned. 

“Hey, buddy, did you actually walk?” Peter shook his head, sending droplets of water scattering across his desk and Ned’s notebook. 

“No, but Pepper did drop me off half a block away. She knows I don’t like the attention.” At that, MJ shut her newest book, _Cakes and Ale_ , and raised her brows expectantly. 

“So it went well then?” The webslinger grinned and unzipped his backpack to pull out the two shoe boxes, handing each to their respective owner. “Holy shit, Parker.” 

“Plus,” he said as he waved the bag containing their food, “she bought breakfast. For all of us.” The two openly gaped at him as they looked between the crepes and shoes, even MJ, who was known for her lack of outwardly displayed emotions. 

“Holy shit,” Ned muttered as his fingers caressed the Vans almost reverently. Personally, Peter thought the brightly colored design was a bit garish, but he knew that the other boy loved them, so he kept the comment to himself. “She bought us shoes. And breakfast. Breakfast and shoes!” While they gushed over the shoes, the webslinger tucked into his crepes before the bell rang, all the while enjoying how happy they were.

“Do you know how much these costs, Parker?” MJ’s voice is soft, and for a minute, Peter was concerned that she’s annoyed or something, but her heart still beat steadily. “Two grand, Parker. Pepper Potts bought _me two thousand dollar shoes._ ” The teen choked on the crepe he was eating and reached for Ned’s water bottle as he scrolled through something on his phone.

“These were 225$, wow. Peter, yours were 115$.” 

Peter echoed their sentiment of “Holy shit.” 

“You really secured the bag, huh?” MJ asked as she began eating her own breakfast. “Like, they didn’t just buy your shoes, but your friends too. What sugar daddy-slash-mommy does that?” The spiderling thought they had no idea how much he really secured. His mind flashed to the signed papers on his desk. 

The rest of the day kind of passed in a blur for the teen as he thought about his next move, but by the end of the day, he had a vague idea of what he needed to do. The NDAs had been turned in, and he hoped that Mr. Harrington thought nothing of Natasha’s signature on them. He really did not want to explain to him once more that she was his guardian only for him to still think that Peter was lying.

It had stopped raining sometime around lunch, so Peter walked home. He avoided puddles and mud to keep his new shoes clean, only stopping once to take a picture of a corgi in a backpack for Pepper. (Which she loved immensely.) 

“Hey, Peter!” The boy waved back to Andy and quickly stepped through the scanner so he could speak with her. “How was school, kiddo?” She wasn’t that much older than him, but the kiddo comment didn’t bother him.

“Fine, still high school.” He didn’t mention that Flash had shoved him into the lockers between nearly every class, and his left shoulder had a purpling bruise to prove it. “How’s Sara?”

“Excited, she aced her history test thanks to you.” The proud tone for her daughter made Peter’s heart swell, and he beamed back. 

“Nah, I just helped. That genius is all hers,” he said. Andy only smiled and handed him another sticker that made him chuckle when he saw it. Funny enough, it said ‘respect the drip, Karen’ in swirling calligraphy. _Huh, definitely fits for today._

“She’s ready for the next session, I’ll tell her you said hey.” The two shared another smile as Peter walked backward to the public elevator. As he was so busy, Peter only got to work with the other employees twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so he made the most of it. Peter would visit each floor and help wherever needed, someone always clamoring for his attention to run this by him or ask him that. They only called him by Kiddo or Mini Stark, but he was okay with that because it granted him at least a bit of anonymity. 

He worked until around seven when Mr. America called him up for dinner at six-thirty and then had come to drag him to the elevator when he didn’t show up. The spiderling conversed with the others, but he itched to finally go to the private labs to find Mr. Stark. Thankfully, Natasha saw how eager he was to leave, so she took his dishes duty with a knowing smirk and nodded to the doorway. He gave her a quick hug and then sprinted back to the elevator, where he tapped his foot nervously until the doors opened once more. 

Peter found him in the lab, slumped over a table in a position that was horrible for his back, and smiled softly. Mr. Stark had that look on his face that he always got when working. Tongue between his teeth and brow scrunched in thought, Peter thought he looked quite handsome even covered in motor oil and various other lab substances. 

“Mr. Stark, it is time for dinner.” The man didn’t budge, but Peter knew he had heard him. “Pepper is gone for the rest of the week, so I gotta make sure you eat, so get up.” Mr. Stark snorted and spun around in the chair. 

“I’m not a dog, Pete. You don’t have to take care of me.” Peter rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Maybe not, but I want to.” He hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but he could admit that the surprise written clearly across the man’s face was compensation enough for his embarrassment. 

Finally, Mr. Stark cleared his throat and said with a shrug, “Can’t argue with that.” He allowed the teen to drag him back to the penthouse, where he microwaved some pizza from Wednesday as he could not cook to save his life. Peter stared unabashedly as he ate until Mr. Stark spoke up once more with that dashing smirk of his.

“Why are you staring, Pete? I’m pretty sure you see me enough to have committed my likeness to memory. If not, I recommend a picture, they last better.” 

The spider resisted the urge to retort and instead murmured a soft, “Thank you.” The smirk softened, and Peter noted that he liked it better this way. 

“No problem, Petey-pie, anything for you.” _I would trade it all just to have you two._ While Mr. Stark finished eating, the webslinger ran to his room to retrieve the paperwork sans file. He carried it back to the living room and depositing on the coffee table in front of his mentor, Peter’s Bambi-esque eyes watching him closely. “Made a decision?”

Without a word, Peter tapped his signature twice. Mr. Stark broke out into a wide grin and hopped up to pull the teen into a tight hug that his chest constricting, but not from how tightly he was being held. 

“I’ll file these tomorrow, and once you’ve graduated, we’ll hold a press conference addressing the change in ownership. Until then, Pepper said she would stay on as interim CEO to teach you the ropes. I’m so…” His voice faded to the back of Peter’s mind as he spoke, the young man entirely focused on how happy he sounded as he talked about all the plans. “Pete? You still there?” 

“Yeah, just thinking. I know this is the right decision for me, I couldn’t see myself being anywhere else.” _Or with anyone else_ , Peter added in his mind. Mr. Stark slung his arm over his shoulders and pulled the webslinger into his side. 

“This is where you belong, Pete, this is your home. This world is gonna be yours someday, and I’ll be proud to live in it.” 


	12. Progress and Permission Slips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Progress!Progress!Progress 
> 
> Peter with tattoos makes me very happy so expect that soon-ish. Also, y'all know those fics where Peter is kind of a little bitch whenever confronted? That's wack. Comic book!Peter was sarcastic and witty and didn't back down, just like Andrew Garfield's Spidey.

It was raining again when Peter awoke. He laid in bed for a few minutes simply listening, mind racing with the events of yesterday. Mr. Stark had filed the change in ownership of Stark Industries to him on April 29th at ten-thirty am. The older man had smiled proudly as Peter witnessed the filing and then posed the impossible question once they were back in the elevator. 

“How are you going to juggle Spiderman and being CEO of a Fortune 500 company?” he had asked, but Peter did not know. Being Spiderman and a student was hard enough to hide as a student, he didn’t know how he would excuse his absences as the CEO. 

The pounding rain allowed the teen’s mind to drift until he got restless enough to crawl out of bed. Peter padded down the hallway and into the kitchen where he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge before stepping out onto the balcony. The chill seeped into his bones as he leaned against the railing, fingertips outstretched to feel the droplets hit his skin. His thoughts jumped between being a sugar baby and how to run a country, oddly contradictory the more he thought about it. 

Peter dropped little hints when he could, used his body to the best of his abilities. He talked to Pepper while she was away, but tried not to disturb her since it was a business trip, and Mr. Stark locked himself in the lab overnight so the teen was alone for the foreseeable eight hours. In the end, he found himself in the studio. He was wearing a pair of shorts that Natasha had given him on the sly. They were a deep maroon and came to mid-thigh, melded to his lower half like a second skin. She had said they would prove useful and he only hoped that was true. 

But if not, they were still comfortable to dance in. Peter moved fluidly to whatever song played whether it be hip hop or a ballad, the different styles blending together seamlessly. It was easy to lose himself to the music as the rest of the Tower began to wake up below him. Ned had been listening to “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish for the past week and now Peter could feel the beats thumping through him as he moved, the base easy to follow. The song transitioned to “Senorita” and his moves did the same. 

Peter improvised to best fit the music and moved with sensuality. His hips rolled and body flexed, his abdomen contracting as he bent backward impossibly. Peter’s back is pressed to the cool glass, eyes shut, and he arched as he slid to his knees. The song ended but his eyes remained closed. His chest heaved as he caught his breath and ran a hand through his damp hair. The spiderling let his head fall back against the glass and debated queueing another playlist, but it hadn’t solved his problems in the first place so he settled in the silence. 

“I haven’t seen you dance in awhile, you look amazing.” Peter’s eyes opened with startling speed and found Pepper standing in front of the elevator doors with a soft smile, still dressed in her work attire and with a carry-on in her left hand. The teen scrambled to his feet and moved toward the woman to give her a hug, but stopped a few feet shy when he remembered how sweaty he was. 

“You’re back.” She smiled at him and tucked a stray lock of strawberry hair behind her ear. 

“I missed my boys.” The thought of being hers made Peter’s heart ache but he tried not to let it show. “I assume Tony is still in the lab?” 

The teen smiled sheepishly and nodded. “I couldn’t convince him to leave. But, he did eat!” 

“Thanks, Peter. Knew I could count on you to keep him on the straight and narrow.” He wanted to say that there was nothing straight about him, but managed to resist. Barely. “I heard that some changes have been made to management.” 

“Oh, yeah, once all the paperwork goes through then I’ll be the owner of Stark Industries,” Peter said softly, “Still feels like a dream, sorta.” He saw Pepper’s fingers twitch, almost as if she wanted to reach out but thought better of it. 

“You’re going to do great things.” Peter was never too good at taking compliments so he changed the subject like always. 

“How was Monaco?” Pepper obviously knew what he was doing but went along with it anyways. 

“Boring, but I brought you something.” The webslinger rubbed at his exposed abdomen and smiled slightly.

“You know you don’t have to bring me something every time you go somewhere,” he pointed out. Pepper unzipped the bag she was holding and pulled out a box about the size of his desktop only much thicker. 

“I may not have to,” Pepper said as she held the box out to him, “but I like to.”  _ Wow, if that isn’t the perfect thing for a sugar baby to hear.  _ Peter grasped the box, ran his fingers over the smooth lid and then untied the gold bow. Gently pulling the lid off, the webslinger raised a brow at the older woman. 

“Chocolates?” 

“For that insatiable sweet tooth of yours,” she teased. “They’re supposedly the best in all of Monaco.” He tried not to think of how much the best cost as he plucked a dark chocolate crown from inside. Peter took a bite and nearly moaned as the decadent taste burst across his tongue because  _ holy shit, he can see why they were considered the best.  _ He sucked the chocolate from his thumb without thought, only pausing when he looked up to meet Pepper’s eyes. 

Her throat bobbed as Peter chased her gaze, mildly surprised to find her staring at his body. He unconsciously flexed his abs and delighted in the blush that spread across her cheeks. 

“Thank you,” Peter said, “ I really do appreciate it.” Pepper pulled him into a hug despite the sweat drying on his skin and he resisted the urge to squeeze her as his arms wrapped around her waist. 

Her breath was warm against her ear as she murmured, “We enjoy seeing you smile.” Before he could rethink his decision, Peter turned his head and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek like on Friday. He could see the surprise on her face and quickly stepped into the opening elevator before she could say anything. 

“You two make me smile.” 

**~_~.~_~**

The gifts continued well into the next week. On Monday it was a 3D printer on his bed and a pair of headphones designed for mutants with enhanced hearing. Tuesday; three new games for his Switch and another pair of shoes, this time in dark leather. Wednesday came with a StarkPad that looked like a notebook to anyone else and a new camera with a few lenses, the only thing that made his day better after dealing with Flash and obtaining more permission slips. Finally, Thursday. It hadn’t been a day out of the ordinary, but Peter had felt like he could sleep til morning. Then he walked into his bedroom. Gone was his old plastic bean bag and in its place was the dark brown lambskin bean bag that Peter had shown the pair as he scrolled through his Instagram feed. 

And nestled into the bag had been a small box no bigger than his backpack. When he pulled it out Peter found that it was a wooden lamp with one side carved into. Once he plugged it up and turned the lights off the webslinger nearly choked on his own emotions. Cast across the off-white walls was, “You are loved”. He had touched the words without thought and wondered what it would be like to hear them fall from their lips. 

Each of these gifts were followed by a kiss to each of their cheeks in thanks to which Peter would never tire of. Each time he grew a bit more confident in his actions until it became almost second nature to give them one when he left for school or patrol. 

Now, on this Friday afternoon standing in front of Mr. Harrington’s desk, all he wanted was to be on the receiving end of a kiss. 

“Peter, this is the second time you’ve forged a signature on your slips, which is a federal offense I might add.” The older man said with such an air of righteousness that Peter was reminded of the old Cap. “I let it slide the first time, but I can’t do it a second time. You need to get your  _ real _ guardian to sign these.” 

“Mr. Harrington, Natasha is my real guardian. I filed all this paperwork like three years ago.”  _ Which you would know if you did your job. _

“Peter, there is no way that the Black Widow is your legal guardian. I let your lie about the internship slide but this is a step too far.” His blood was boiling the longer he listened and his hands instinctively clenched into tight fists until his nails cut into the skin of his palms.

“Would you like me to call her?” Peter finally snapped back. The challenge hung in the air for a moment but then the teacher sighed and shook his head.

“No, your lies will be revealed in time. I just wish you would save yourself the humiliation and admit to them now,” Mr. Harrington stated in an almost pitying tone. 

Swallowing the smart-ass reply that was on the tip of his tongue, Peter said, “And in time, you’ll see that I’m not lying.”  _ And boy are you going to pay for it.  _ With that, Peter left without being dismissed and angrily strode through the halls of Midtown. He saw Flash at the bottom of the steps as he exited the building and hoped to avoid him, but no such luck.

“Hey, Penis, did Mr. Harrington finally call you on your bullshit?” Peter did his best to ignore the bully. “Did you offer him your special services to keep him from exposing you? Hm, what would your precious Tony Stark think about his  _ personal _ intern on his knees for some-” With a vicious growl the webslinger spun around and grabbed the human by his collar, his fist pulled back ready to strike. And then he saw the fear in Flash’s eyes. 

Peter released the boy and spun on his heel to cross the street, all of his pent up anger and frustration threatening to boil over as he made it to the private entrance of the Tower. His hands clenched the rail inside the elevator and he could hear the metal bending beneath his fingers. The doors slid open on the penthouse floor and the webslinger stalked to his bedroom. Peter slung his backpack off his shoulder and threw it with more force than necessary, barely registering the dent he left in the wall. 

“Mr. Parker-Stark, your heart rate is rising rapidly. I am alerting Mr. Stark.” 

“No,” Peter barked, “don’t. I’m fine, FRIDAY.” He wanted to hit something. He wanted to make someone bleed, he wanted to make  _ Flash _ bleed and beg for his life. With a cry of anger the teen lashed out and punched through the bedroom door like it was construction paper. Peter yanked his hand out without care of the splintered wood digging into his skin and nearly did it again, but the sudden appearance of Mr. Stark made him pause. 

“Woah, Pete, are you alright?” He glanced downward and stepped forward to grab the teen’s fists in his own hands. “You’re bleeding, come on.” Mr. Stark tried to pull him out of the room but Peter didn’t budge. 

“I’ll heal in an hour or so, no point in wasting medical supplies,” he muttered, ignoring the stinging in his knuckles. 

“I don’t care, now move, kid.” Knowing he would not win this argument, Peter trudged out of his bedroom, but not before ripping the door from the hinges. “Okay, it needed to be replaced anyways.” While Mr. Stark went to the kitchen to retrieve the first aid kit, the webslinger flopped down onto the couch and let his hands fall to his lap. Peter realized that he was cold, his skin wet, and figured that it must have been raining when he left Midtown High. He hadn’t even noticed in his anger but now that he had begun to mellow, 

Mr. Stark sat down next to him and grabbed his bloody hand. “What go you so mad, Pete?” The teen barely felt it as the man wiped the minor lacerations with antiseptic and shrugged when he remembered that Mr. Stark had asked him a question. 

“Just school stuff,” he muttered, watching as his mentor wrapped his hand with practiced ease. “Not important.” 

“It’s important to me.” 

“Just high school, ya know? Just another month and it’ll be over.” Peter said with a half-hearted shrug. 

“Yeah, and then you’ll be running a company. High school is not going to matter.” 

“I know, I’m just ready for it to be over.” Mr. Stark dropped his hand and squeeze his shoulder instead. 

“You’re going to be a great CEO, kid. I believe in you.” The webslinger turned his head slightly, surprised at how close Mr. Stark was, and peered into his eyes.  _ Fuck it.  _

Peter pushed the man gently back into the couch and lifted himself to sit on his lap, knees resting on either side of his muscular thighs. He bit the inside of his cheek nervously as he placed his hands on the back of the couch and slowly leaned down. They were inches apart and he saw Mr. Stark’s eyes dart down before slowly dragging back up to meet his gaze. 

“Pete, maybe we should wait, you aren’t-” With a burst of confidence, Peter rolled his hips as if he was dancing. 

“I’m tired of waiting, Mr. Stark,” he whispered, lips barely grazing the older man’s, “I’ve been waiting for two years, and now I am going to ask for what I want. Kiss me?” The older man made a strangled noise and then his fingers were tangling in his hair and he was pulling Peter down, their lips meeting in a soft kiss. It’s sweeter than the teen had expected, nothing more than just a press of lips, but it ignited a deeper passion inside him. 

Peter didn’t hesitate to dip his head and kiss him again, loving every caress of his tongue and the deep, guttural noise that came from his throat. Mr. Stark gripped his hips tightly as Peter ground down against him and he wanted him to grab harder, he wanted to feel it even with his healing factor. The webslinger was achingly hard and the longer he kissed the older man the worse it got. Peter wanted more. He knew this little moment would never be enough, not when he got a taste of what he had wanted for so long. Peter was so engrossed in the  _ tastesmellfeeling _ of the older man that he didn’t hear the elevator arrive.

“Tony!” 


	13. This is very much adequate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I ain't gonna have any of that pining/lack of communication stuff. It's been three years, Peter deserves his mf happiness and he is gonna get it.

As his brain finally registered Pepper’s voice, Peter practically fell off of Mr. Stark’s lap and to his feet. 

“I’m so sorry, Pepper, I’m not trying to break up your marriage, I swear!” Peter said, part of him wanting to cry from frustration and guilt. “I kissed him, I asked. It wasn’t his fault, please don’t be mad, I-” His apologetic ramble was halted by Pepper striding forward in her heels and grabbing his face in both hands. He could see she wasn’t angry, no, she was smiling even as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his with surprising strength. Her fingers gripped his chin, almost possessively as she dominated the kiss, and Peter was happy to let her. 

When she finally pulled back, her eyes were noticeably darker, and Peter wanted nothing more than to kiss her again, but she had other ideas. “I’m not mad, Peter,” she said gently, and then turned her eyes on Mr. Stark, “we had just decided to wait to pursue you.” 

“Pursue me? Like…” the teen swallowed nervously, “romantically?” He heard both of their heartbeats speed up a notch at his words. 

Pepper gently pulled Peter toward the couch and sat him between the pair before nodding. “If that is what you want. Or it could strictly be a sugar baby relationship; you seemed to be interested in that, so-”

“No!” Peter interjected, cheeks heating up as they both raised brows at him. “I mean, I want to be with you,  _ both _ of you.” Finally, saying it after so long was like a weight off his chest. Three years of desiring from afar and hoping and wanting, and now it was all becoming his reality. 

“We want you too, Pete. Didn’t realize it till a few months ago when you started avoiding us. That’s when we realized how much we need you with us.” Peter’s heart was practically beating out of his chest at Mr. Stark’s words. 

“I didn’t know how to be around you once I assumed that what I want, I couldn’t have,” the spider stated quietly as he fiddled with the sleeve of his shirt. “MJ was the one to suggest being a sugar baby, and at the time, it seemed like the only way to stay close without actually revealing how I feel.” Peter felt guilty about the times that he actively avoided them even more so now that they mentioned it. Pepper kicked off her heels and moved closer to Peter, practically throwing her legs over his lap as she rested her head on his shoulder. 

“Now that you know, what do you want?” The question is so hesitant that it sounds strange coming from Pepper, his badass slayer of sexist white men. 

So, Peter turned his head just so to look into her eyes and said, “I want it all. I’ll take whatever you give me.” A calloused hand trailed down his arm, leaving goosebumps in its path, and finally interlacing their fingers loosely as if giving the teen an out if he wanted to escape. But he didn’t pull away, didn’t want to avoid, so he grasped Mr. Stark’s hand tighter. 

“Whatever we give you?” The teasing tone made the spider smile slightly in this moment of seriousness. 

“Maybe not the gifts. I don’t really need them, not if I have you two.” Pepper nosed along his jaw before pressing a featherlight kiss to his pulse. 

“We enjoy spoiling you, though,” she whispered against his skin. The teen swallowed and bit his lip. 

“I’ll accept them, but just know that I don’t  _ need  _ them,” he stressed, “I just want to be with you guys now that I know you want me too.”

“Are you sure you’ll want us in a few years? What happens when you find someone more your age?” Peter hesitantly settled one hand on Pepper’s calf while the other squeezed Mr. Stark’s in reassurance. 

“I’ll never want anyone else. There is no one else; no one will ever come close to you two, not in my eyes.” His words were sincere, and he hoped they knew that. 

“So what do you want? To be our young boyfriend that shares our bed whenever you please? Or do you want something different? The ball is in your court.” With Mr. Stark on his right, Peter could clearly see his wedding ring gleaming in the light and knew that he wanted to share that even if it wasn’t legally binding. 

“I want it all. I don’t want to be a side piece; I don’t want to hide. Whatever this is, it isn’t temporary for me, it’s real, and it isn’t going away,” the teen said with an air of maturity of someone twice his age, “I want late mornings in bed, anniversaries and dates. I want to come home to you two and tell everyone that I’m yours. I want it all.” Peter would have been embarrassed about baring his heart this way, but he knew that they needed to know how he felt. Pepper was breathing shallowing against his neck, and then she began kissing his neck and jaw until she reached his lips again. 

A hair’s width away, she murmured, “We want it all with you too, Peter.” He melted into the kiss and slowly moved his hand upward toward her hip, fingers twitching as they ghosted over her ass. 

“Don’t be afraid to touch.” Spurred on by Mr. Stark, Peter let his grip tighten just a little thought, still careful not to bruise her fair skin. “We will never want to let you go once you become ours, maybe we should stop and think about this, Pete.” The spiderling pulled away from Pepper and turned to face the man while she moved her lips to his neck. 

“I’ve thought about this moment for literal  _ years _ ,” he said, “I’m done waiting, Mr. Stark.” 

“Then call me Tony.” He all but growled before tugging Peter in for an equally passionate kiss. 

**~_~.~_~**

  
  


Saturday was spent in bed, the trio only leaving to collect food from the elevator. Having sex wasn’t what Peter expected it to be like, but having sex with two people he had been pining after was a whole new ballpark. Surprisingly, Pepper was more dominant than Mr. Sta-  _ Tony _ . She pulled his hair and left scratches down his back, sucked hickeys on to his chest and neck with enthusiasm each time they faded away. 

Tony shared the same desire to mark him, but he went about it more subtly. He pressed bruises into Peter’s hips and thighs as he held the webslinger down, but that as rough as he went. Tony preferred to caress his skin almost lovingly as he rutted into Peter as if he was amazed that he was actually there with them. He liked it slow and easy with Pepper, but he fucked into Peter with a passion because he knew that the webslinger could take it and more. 

Peter loved every second of it, loved being with them in every way. In the shower, against the window, over Pepper’s desk. He was under no delusion that while Pepper let him bend her over the kitchen counter, she was the one in charge. With Tony, he wanted Peter to submit in the way that the older woman couldn’t, and he did that with ease. 

Come Sunday evening; Peter was finally feeling the effects of their sex marathon. They were lying in their bed, the windows still untinted as Peter observed the skyline. Pepper was curled against his chest while Tony had his arm wrapped around both of them protectively, the roughened pads of his fingertips tracing random patterns on Pepper’s shoulder. 

“What happens tomorrow?” Peter inquired softly, his chocolate brown eyes peering up at Tony. 

“Tomorrow, I have a meeting in Hong Kong,” Tony stated succinctly, “You have school, and Pepper will be making sexist white men regret becoming a part of our board.” Said woman snorted against Peter’s pectoral and shook her head. 

“Nothing’s changed?” Pepper propped herself up on her elbow and smiled softly at both men. 

“Everything has changed, Peter. No more pining, no more avoiding, we are together, and that’s all that matters,” she said, just before pressing a soft kiss to his lips. 

True to her word, everything did change. Peter had slept between them, but when he woke up, he was alone. If he focused, he could hear the shower running, so the teen assumed that Pepper was getting ready. He stretched atop the silk sheets, blanket draped over his lower half. The webslinger finally rolled out of bed and headed back to his bedroom for a quick shower. 

Peter dressed in a pair of skinny jeans ripped at the knees and his Midtown High t-shirt, his ratty original Converse coming next. With his backpack slung over one shoulder, Peter left his room for the kitchen, where he raided the fridge for leftover pizza. 

“That isn’t exactly healthy, Peter.” The teen turned around, one slice in his mouth and another in hand. 

“I knew you only wanted me for my abs,” he teased around the pepperoni, smiling as Pepper rolled her eyes. Now that he had free reign to look, the webslinger looked her up and down in appreciation. Peter loved her in sweatpants and loose tees, looking soft and calm, but there was something different about her work attire. Today it was a grey pantsuit with heels that placed her two inches above Peter, so he had to look up at her, not that he minded. 

Pepper stalked forward until the webslinger was pressed back against the fridge, her fingers trailing up his arms until stopping at his shoulders. “I appreciate more than just your body,” she murmured, head dipping to brush her lips against his jaw gently. Now that the sex haze was gone, Peter was hesitant to touch freely, but she decided for him. Pepper placed his hands on her hips before cupping his jaw possessively. “You are always free to touch.” With permission given, Peter moved one hand upward over her chest, fingertips resting on the edge of her shirt. It was the only thing separating his hand from her skin, and he could feel her heartbeat rapidly. 

“You’re going to be late.” Part of him wanted to suggest staying in late, but the other part knew she was right. That didn’t stop the spiderling from kissing her once more, his movements still exploratory and inexperienced. 

“So worth it,” he whispered, momentarily grasping her hip tighter as he knew she liked it rougher. Pepper bit his bottom lip, the familiar metallic taste blooming across his tongue, but that didn’t stop Peter from slipping his hand into her blouse. He was tempted to say “fuck it” and take the detention for being late if it meant getting to be with her for a few more minutes. 

“Pete, I’m pretty sure you have school.” The two broke apart at the sound of Tony’s voice, and Peter felt like he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Or his hand in the wife’s shirt. Potato-potato. “Really, Mrs. Stark, you should be setting a good example.” Peter squeaked as the woman’s hand slipped into his back pocket and glared up at the ceiling where he knew Tony was watching. 

“He’s just so easy to distract, Tony.” Her sultry tone made the webslinger twitch in his jeans and whimpered as her teeth latched on his neck. 

“As much as I enjoy the show, Pep, he’s got to go.” It took a few minutes, but she moved away and placed a short peck to his lips before stepping back. “Have a good day at school, Pete. I’ll see you when I get back.” Peter heard the telltale click of the call disconnecting and resisted the urge to pout as he watched his...lover fix her shirt. 

“I’ll see you after school, Peter. CEO training starts at four.” She had been teaching him things for at least an hour every day, more if his schedule allowed. There were more pleasurable activities to be doing than learning to do paperwork. 

Nonetheless, Peter left the kitchen with one last kiss and took the stairs down to the lobby as he would be late otherwise. Even sprinting down the crowded streets and suffering Mrs. Hall’s glare as he collapsed into his chair mere seconds before the bell rang could not deter the broad grin across Peter’ s face. Ned and MJ stared at him like he was crazy, but the spiderling didn’t care. 

Finally, MJ leaned over conspiratorially and whispered, “You have lipstick on your jaw.” It took the genius longer than he would like to admit to figure out what she meant, but once he did, Peter simply smiled sheepishly. “Somebody had a good weekend.” MJ’s words brought back the feeling of phantom hands on his body, and he shivered unconsciously. 

“I had an excellent weekend, MJ, what about you?” She scoffed and narrowed her eyes at the brunette. 

“Cut the shit, Parker; you got laid.” The blush that surfaced to his cheeks was all the answer they both needed. “Holy fuck, spill the details. How did you even get to fuckin’? Friday, you were still dropping hints and shit, so what happened?” Peter wasn’t sure what all to say, really, so he settled for the short version.

“Well, I went back to the Tower after school, absolutely pissed after a confrontation with Flash and Mr. Harrington, right. So, I end up breaking my bedroom door, and my hand is bleeding so he’s like, I’m gonna fix it, even though he knows that it would be fine in like an hour,” Peter explained, pausing to look around the classroom, “We were sitting on the couch, and he was so nice so I just, ya know, leaned over and kissed him.” 

“You just leaned over and  _ kissed _ him?” Ned asked, his tone incredulous. 

“Well,” he hedged, “I might have been kinda on his lap?” MJ punched his shoulder without hesitation, and Peter rubbed the spot out of habit. 

“You better have gotten that dick, or I swear to the god I don’t believe in.” The webslinger smirked and leaned a little closer.

“I got a lot more than that, MJ, believe me.” Her eyes darted down for a split-second as he continued to rub away at Pepper’s lipstick. 

“I can tell by that hickey on the side of your neck, Parker.”  _ She fucking didn’t… _ Peter pulled his phone from his pocket and tilted his head to the side, and sure enough, there was a fading hickey. “That must be pretty new if it’s still there.” 

“She’s pretty possessive,” he murmured without thought, only to wince when Ned’s jaw dropped. 

“You got  _ both _ ?” 

Peter only smirked. “Gotta catch ‘em all, right?” 


	14. d.i.l.l.i.g.a.f

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who is validating me with comments and kudos and shit lmao, I love all of you equally. A lot of the titles are tik toks bc I don't have an original bone in my bone but like fuck it ya know. 
> 
> Also, this is currently one of my favorite sounds on tik tok rn but my favorite video is uhhhhhh the first Spanish president. I love it with all of my heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to everyone who comments, it makes my day for real.

Peter had thought the butterflies would dissipate by Wednesday, but he was wrong. Each time he looked at Pepper, or every text from Tony set off a blush on his face and a smile that made his cheeks ache. The webslinger had expected things to be a bit awkward while they all settled into this new dynamic, but it was easier than breathing for him. Breakfast with Pepper, texting Tony flirty comments during class, it all came so naturally that it took his breath away. 

Peter settled into domesticity quite nicely, and not even Flash’s snide remarks could diminish the happiness he felt. Least his comments about me on my knees for Tony are half right. The only thing that could be considered negative was the fact that Peter didn’t know where to sleep. For the past four days, he has waited for them to mention him coming with them, but the webslinger knew that he couldn’t logically keep that up forever. _Maybe I should just talk to them;_ he thought absently as he walked home, Haha, no. That doesn’t sound like me at all. 

Entering the Tower, Peter waved to the secretary on duty, a new hire if he was correct, and side-stepped the scanner. Once news got around that Peter was the new owner of Stark Industries, the security guards stopped requiring him to go through the scanner as FRIDAY immediately announced his entrance to the building. It saved a bit of time whenever Peter ran late, which happened relatively often as everyone knew. To his immense satisfaction, no one treated the webslinger any different aside from that. The interns still bugged him for help (not that he saw it as an annoyance), he and Andy were still tight, and he was still Mini Stark. 

The spiderling hummed along to his music as the elevator reached the penthouse, and he tried to ignore the disappointment that flared up at his noticing that Pepper was still working. As the older woman had meetings until at least five, Peter had a bit of free time to work with the other interns-slash-employees. First, he changed out of his school clothes and into a pair of work jeans and a hoodie with holes in that sleeves that he stuck his thumbs in, obviously in the signature Iron Man colors. Peter switched his converse out for his ratty Vans and then headed down to the biochemistry labs where Steven Hobbs had requested him yesterday. It had been nearly ten pm when he finally got to the end of the list, and he was exhausted from an earlier patrol on top of CEO-training and school, but Steven was pretty chill about it and settled to be first on the list the next day. 

Entering the labs, Peter ducked narrowly to avoid a ball of slime that splattered across the wall to his left. He grinned at the pitcher, Sarah Jane, and stuck his tongue out. 

“You’ve been trying for months, you aren’t going to get me,” he said as he gently scooped the already-reformed slime from the wall. “And quit throwing Arlo at walls, he’s gonna start eating your pens again.” Sarah rolled her eyes as Peter handed the slimeball back and ruffled his hair with her free hand. 

“Unless he wants to be thrown out the window, he will keep his slimy, little body off of my good pens. He can eat Steven’s for all I care.” The man let out an indignant ‘hey!’ from behind one of the lab tables and stood up, banging his head on the underside of the table like always. 

“Keep your pet from my stuff or I will throw him into the R&D department,” Steven said, the threat lessened by the pointer finger he was waving around, “But, Mini Stark, I want your opinion.” With a promise to add Sarah to the list to discuss her study into hereditary diseases, Peter stepped over toward Steven’s table and smiled. 

“Alright, what’s up?”

“I assume you remember when Dr. Curt Conners started looking into Stem cells, correct?” The webslinger refrained from outwardly wincing and nodded. He was sixteen when that happened and had just moved into the Tower when suddenly a giant lizard was roaming the streets. Not fun. 

“Oscorp kept it pretty hush-hush, but what I heard was that he had been pressured to find a cure for Osborne who was dying. That’s why he injected himself instead of starting animal trials,” Peter stated, “He was a genetic biologist, right?”

“Yep, which is why he was the first approached to find the cure for Osborne. Not the point, though. I want to look into cellular regeneration again.” The teen had figured that’s where their conversation would go when he mentioned Dr. Connors. 

“Okay, what would you different?” At Steven’s arched brow, he was quick to add, “besides not injecting yourself with it, of course.” 

“I would look into other options in comparison with our Stem cells, see which share more similarities and start there. I wouldn’t use just one animal when there are plenty out there. Connors limited himself, that’s not what I want to do.” Steven explained. “Plus, I have no personal investment in this other than wanting to help people. I’m not going to do anything to myself that turns me into a weird hybrid creature.” I respect that answer. 

“What kind of animals are you thinkin’? Depending on the population level of that species, we might not be able to acquire testing samples whether it would help people or not.” It was the harsh reality sometimes. 

“Well, planarians can be cut in two and become two separate worms, same with sea cucumbers,” Steven ticked off, “arachnids can regrow missing legs like lizards, hell, even sharks. They regrow up to 24,000 teeth in a lifetime!” Peter crossed his arms over his abdomen and hummed thoughtfully.

“Didn’t they make a movie about using sharks to regenerate brain cells?” 

“Yes, they did, but I’m not trying to cure Alzheimer’s here. Nor do I plan to work with live sharks, because I like having all of my limbs.” The two shared a smile, and Peter nodded. 

“Okay, I’m interested. Draft up a rough proposal, and I’ll look over it, but there’s no doubt this has a high chance of being funded.” Steven broke out into a wide grin and clapped a hand onto the spider’s shoulder. 

“Thanks, Pete, I’ll get on that!” Peter was satisfied as he headed for the R&D lab to assist Rahim with their latest idea for the StarkPad. Cell regeneration could help thousands of people, maybe even Mr. Bucky or Rhodey, if it worked. If the research was approved, Peter made a mental promise to help as much as possible. 

That’s how the rest of his Wednesday was spent. He went from R&D to Engineering, where Mickey Donovan and his twin, Alana Donovan, were designing tube-like structures to ensure the safety of the numerous homeless people that slept on the streets. Then onto the Molecular section with Mahalia, a young intern who wanted to change the wars being fought. Her most recent idea was a packet of food that gave the average man the required calories for each meal while also tasting good, which therein lied her problem. The last three on the list were in the Biochemical Engineering section, and they were last because Peter had a personal investment in their latest product. 

The spider didn’t return to the penthouse until nearly nine, where he found Pepper waiting in the living room with a book in hand. 

“Hey, Peter, you missed dinner.” The young man winced and ran a hand through his hair tiredly. 

“I know, but they needed my help, and I promised. I’ll eat now, though.” Pepper smiled softly at him as she set the book to the side and tilted her head toward the kitchen. 

“There are burgers from White Castle on the table.” Peter perked up at the mention of burgers and jogged into the kitchen to pluck the bag off the marble top happily. He flopped down beside his lover (girlfriend? Datemate? Romantic paramour?) and devoured the first burger in two bites, reminding him of how hungry he was. “You need to eat more, darling.” The webslinger inwardly preened at the pet name while on the outside, he simply ate another burger. 

“I just got a little sidetracked,” Peter mumbled as he finished the sixth burger. 

“Yes, and soon enough, you’ll be spending your nights in the lab like Tony used to.” The webslinger turned his head a bit and smiled back her. 

“I much prefer to spend my nights with you,” he said quietly, surprised that she began to blush. Pepper moved her hand that had been resting on the back of the couch and brushed her fingers across Peter’s cheek, the teen leaning into her touch unconsciously as her thumb pressed under his chin. 

“I enjoy having you between us,” she murmured, lips barely brushing against his and drawing a whimper from the teen. “I enjoy the noises you make just as much, even if they are distracting.” 

Peter spoke without thought. “Yours have distracted me for weeks.” Both froze as their lust-addled brains processed his words, and for a minute, he thought he was in deep trouble, but then her lips pulled up into a smirk.

“Weeks, huh? Care to explain, Peter?” 

“Nope.” Apparently, that was not what Pepper wanted to hear. Her smirk turned predatory, and she pressed him back against the couch before straddling his lap like he had Tony’s only a few days ago. Peter could feel the warmth of her through his thin t-shirt as she held his hands down on either side of his head and ached to touch now that he could. The webslinger knew he could easily break her hold, but he didn’t mind letting her take control. Especially when I have such a fantastic view, Peter mused as his gaze wandered down the front of her shirt. 

“Come on, Peter, tell me. How have you been distracted for so long?” His brain couldn’t formulate a response once she began to move against him, but then she suddenly stopped, which drew a whine from low in his throat. “Tell me, darling.” 

“I might have, possibly, accidentally used my powers and heard you and Tony having sex?” It came out like a question, and Peter feared for her reaction until he heard her heart stutter. 

“And when was this?” 

“The day I mentioned needing new shoes after Ned and MJ left…” he trailed off into a sharp gasp as Pepper ground her hips a little harder and resisted the urge to rut up against her. “I couldn’t stop listening.” The words spilled from his lips like honey, and she seemed to love every second of it. 

“What did you do while you listened to us, Peter? Did you touch yourself wishing it was us, or did you rut against your mattress, desperate?” Her words did nothing but stoke the fire already churning in the pit of his stomach, and he easily broke out of her grip to pull her down for a kiss. Peter swallowed the startled noise she made as one hand wound its way into her strawberry blonde hair, the other resting low on her back, and submitted to her whim. 

He relished in the teasing bites to his bottom lip as she built up a rhythm in his lap and lost control when her low gasps met his ears. Her head dropped his shoulder, so Peter took his chance and began to kiss down the elegant arch of her neck. He tried to find the spots that would make her whimper or moan, treated it like a game where every discovery had its own reward but ended up focusing more on the dark spots that began to appear on her ivory skin. Peter loved seeing her marked up, seeing the way Tony would stare at them, or brushing his fingers over them to make her stutter. 

“It’s so much better to experience it than imagine.” He wasn’t sure if she was referring to him or her, but either way, it remained valid. “Peter, bedroom, now. You’re going to fuck me into the mattress, and we’re going to send a video to Tony.” If he hadn’t been hard before that, he certainly was now. The webslinger wrapped his arm tightly around her waist and surged upward with ease. He carried her down the hallway quickly and nudged their bedroom door open with his shoulder. 

Peter gently lowered Pepper onto the center of the bed and straightened up to pull his shirt overhead, his confidence growing from the heated look in her eyes as his jeans followed. The young man kneeled between her legs and leaned forward on his forearms to give her a lingering kiss. This one was slower, heavy with unspoken words that came from months (years for Peter) of pining. After a moment, Peter sat back on his haunches and surveyed the scene before his eyes. 

Pepper was the picture of debauched. Her hair was wild, lips red and swollen from the intensity of their kisses, but she looked perfect in his eyes. Peter loved every part of her body from the freckles that dotted her skin to the laugh lines around her eyes and mouth, even when she didn’t. Every touch made his body swell with warmth, and he vaguely wondered if this was what love felt like as his fingertips trailed down her calf teasingly. Was love the butterflies in his stomach each time they smiled at him? Was it the overwhelming euphoria that came with each small act? If so, Peter had been in love with them for months and hadn’t even realized. (MJ would get a kick out of that fact.)

“Take a picture, darling.” 

Her voice drew Peter from his internal musings, and the adoring look on her face made his cheeks pinken as he replied with, “Maybe next time.” With that, the spiderling kissed her once more and lost himself in the feeling. 

~_~.~_~

Peter did not wake up alone. His arm was still slung across Pepper’s abdomen, the other behind her head, and the warm weight of her against him settled something inside the webslinger. Her steady breathing assured Peter that she was really there, that the past five days weren’t a dream and that this was his new reality. Peter’s thoughts drifted to last night, more specifically, his thoughts during the previous night. 

Could he already be in love with them? The teen had no clue what love was supposed to feel like, but hopefully, it was this. Peter wouldn’t change a thing even if he could. He loved the excitement of spending nights in their bed. Loved the passion of every kiss and caress. Peter loved the quiet moments in the lab with Tony or watching Pepper do paperwork in her office while he did assignments. It wasn’t just the sex or the gifts, though they made him smile from the thought they put into them. It was every single thing that made them who they were, the way the three of them were together. For Peter, it was the clarity they gave him. 

“I can hear you thinking,” Pepper mumbled. 

“Just admiring,” he replied softly, his fingers tracing patterns across her stomach that leave goosebumps in their wake. “I didn’t wake you, did I?” The woman turned in his arms and pressed her palm against his chest. 

“No, I’m usually up by now anyway.” Peter ducked his head to kiss her softly, nothing more than a simple press of lips and sighed softly. “Care to join me for a shower?” 

To the webslinger’s surprise, she really meant a shower. Not that seeing water cascade down her body and over the bites that littered her neck and the inside of her thighs made it easy to resist. Peter brushed his fingers across the marks at every opportunity until Pepper huffed and pressed him gently against the cold tile.

“You have school, and I have work. Next time, I won’t invite you in.” Peter pouted but leaned forward to steal a kiss, glad that she leaned into him as well. 

“I’ll be good, scouts honor.” His promise was minimized by the hand trailing down her chest teasingly and the devilish look in his eyes. True to his word, though, Peter doesn’t go past teasing and leaves the shower first to get ready for school. 

Towel wrapped securely around his waist despite being the only other person in the penthouse, Peter went to his room and froze in the doorway at the sight that greeted him. “You’re back.” Tony grinned from his desk chair, looking unfairly sexy in his Armani suit and let his eyes trail down Peter’s figure unabashedly. 

“This is a great welcome back already.” The young man let himself be tugged forward when Tony dipped his fingers into the waist of his towel and met his kiss happily. The scrape of the man’s beard against his jaw was a wild difference from Pepper but one he loved just as much as her soft skin. Peter gripped Tony’s biceps to keep steady and then moved his head back with a remorseful groan. 

“I have to get ready,” he said regretfully as he peered down at Tony. Peter chuckled at the pout that spread across his handsome face and leaned down to give him a quick peck. “I’ll be back before you know it.” 

“Now, you know how I felt Monday morning, Mr. Stark.” The spiderling looked over his shoulder to find Pepper in the doorway sporting what would be a disapproving look if they couldn’t see a smile threatening to appear. 

“He’s just so pretty, Ms. Potts.” The teen in question flushed at the compliment and moved away from Tony’s roaming hands to get ready. 

“It’s Mrs. Stark, last I checked,” Pepper replied simply, the mischief in her eyes replaced by adoration as she moved forward to cradle Tony’s cheek. “I’m glad you’re home.” Peter dropped the towel in favor of a clean pair of boxers and black jeans he had worn once to a party years ago, trying to give them their moment. 

“I’m glad to be back with you two.” He nearly dropped the white t-shirt he had grabbed at Tony’s words. “Hong Kong was a bore without my favorite people.”

“I’m sure Steve and Bucky will go with you next time,” Peter quipped over his shoulder as he slipped the shirt on and then his high top Converse, biting his lip to keep from laughing at the affronted look on Tony’s face. 

“Fine, then, I won’t show you what I brought back.” The teen rolled his eyes and strode forward in a few short steps to straddle Tony’s lap. 

“We missed you too, Tony.” His eyes darkened considerably, but then he was smiling brightly and lifted Peter with ease. 

“Good, then you can have your goodies,” the man said, nodding his head to the left. Peter followed the motion and was mildly surprised to find a small chest of sorts resting on his bed. “The chest was to carry things, but I figured you’d like it nonetheless.”

Dropping out of his arms, he replied, “Yeah, because it’s from you.” Tony rolled his eyes, but Peter could tell he was inwardly preening like a peacock as he opened his mouth once more.

“Come on, Tony, leave Peter to get dressed,” Pepper interjected before he could say anything, winking at Peter as she interlaced her fingers with her husband’s and pulled him down the hall. 

Peter moved for the chest immediately and flipped the lid open to start pulling things out. There were a plastic package that had four snowball-looking things, twenty-one (!) boxes of Pocky because the teen had mentioned wanting to try all flavors, a lollipop of some sort in a foil tin with two skewers in the bottom, what looks to be a small cake of some kind with a cracked top, animal crackers with what Peter assumed to be icing, and his favorite foreign snack of all time, Koala’s March cookies. They only sold the strawberry and chocolate flavor in the U.S., so Peter was more than a bit excited to try the others. 

Below the snacks were three more items; a flat, rectangular box, and two cubed ones, all without noticeable logos. The webslinger hummed before picking up the flat box only to drop it back onto the bedspread in utter shock.  _ Holy fuck, he bought me diamonds… _

It was a necklace of black diamonds, obviously of excellent quality as Tony Stark would settle for nothing less. _It wasn’t too heavy to be considered cumbersome;_ Peter noted as he set it gingerly onto the bed. The smaller of the two boxes held a set of sapphire earrings with a ring of diamonds around the gem, and Peter was quick to put one on. The last was the most surprising of all.

It was a ring. Slightly feminine, but that didn’t register for Peter. It was another sapphire but with rubies on either side, most likely in reference to his night job, and when Peter slid it onto his right ring finger, it fit nearly perfect. The stones glinted in the sunlight coming through his window, and it made the teen wonder if it meant something.  _ No, probably not.  _

__

Peter was never one to wear jewelry, he found it got in the way, but they were meant to be worn. The necklace draped down his chest, almost elegantly, and the ring brought it all together. Looking in the mirror, he had to admit that he looked like a sugar baby. And a damn fine one at that. Peter slung his backpack over his shoulder and ran a hand through his drying curls in an attempt to look presentable before heading for the kitchen, a box of Pocky and Koala’s March stuffed into his bag. 

He found Tony and Pepper looking at something on the man’s phone, but they looked up when they finally heard him. “You look stunning, Peter.” He blushed at Pepper’s praise and leaned over to press his lips against Tony’s teeth.

“He bought me things to look nice in,” Peter pointed out, tilting his head to show both the earring and necklace. 

“Is it too much?” Tony inquired softly, eyes darting down to his right hand. Peter touched the ring without thought, thumb brushing over the stones, and smiled.

“Just right, actually. As long as I don’t think too hard about the price.” Pepper chuckled and reached out to gently grasp his wrist. 

“A good idea, darling. Are you ready for school?” 

“Are you driving me again?” 

“Nope,” Tony said, “I am, so let’s go, kid.” Peter gave the woman a quick kiss before following Tony to the elevator. 

As they descended, Peter asked, “Why am I getting a ride today?” 

“Can’t a man miss his young lover?” It was said salaciously, but Peter could tell that the man really had missed him. He was silent as they reached the garage and slid into the Audi beside Tony with a gentle smile. “What’s that smile for?”

“Can a young man miss his sugar daddy?” Tony scoffed and reached over to grab the webslinger’s hand as he pulled out of the garage. 

“Do you want breakfast, o’ sugar baby of mine?” Peter beamed and squeezed the man’s hand gently. 

“You know me so well. Starbucks?” 

Tony chuckled. “You don’t have to pout, Pete, you know I’ll give you everything you want.” Three blueberry muffins, two chocolate croissants, three bacon-and-cheese egg bites, two cake pops, and vanilla bean frappe later, Peter was finally heading to school. He expected Tony to drop him off a block away like usual but was pleasantly confused when he pulled up right in front of the steps. The spiderling could hear students whispering, saw them pointing at the car as they debated who was inside and turned to Tony with raised brows. 

“Why did you drive me?” The older man hooked a finger around the diamonds and tugged Peter forward over the console. 

“I really did miss you, Peter,” he whispered before planting a filthy kiss on the teen that had him digging his nails into the man’s suit jacket. When Tony moved away, he only smirked and said, “Have a good day at school; I’ll see you when you get home.” The way he says home had the teen stumbling out of the car, to the utter surprise of everyone watching, and he quickly strode up the steps. Peter could feel eyes on him as he sipped his drink, but the teen thought back to the advice Natasha gave him for his routine and became someone else.

The webslinger played the part throughout the day, avoiding questions and smirking through the whisperings that followed him wherever he went. It all came to a culmination in Harrington’s, though, as it usually does. Peter took his seat by Ned and smiled, pretending not to notice the other boy staring at his ring or necklace when Flash appeared. 

“So, Parker, who did you sleep with to get the ice?” The class fell silent at the bully’s voice.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he replied simply, faking indifference when on the inside, he was a nervous mess. 

“So, you admit to whoring yourself out, huh?” 

“Whoring implies that I slept with them to get the jewelry, when in reality,” Peter said, leaning forward with a salacious grin that Natasha would have been proud of, “I don’t need pretty things to get on my knees or know my worth.” Someone whispered ‘holy shit,’ but it barely registered as he watched Flash try to formulate a response. 

“Alright, you tried, go lick your wounds now, Eugene.” The boy flushed an angry shade of red as MJ pushed him away from Peter’s desk, but the webslinger only waggled his fingers pettily. 

“Man,” Ned muttered, “that was more satisfying than finding out about your second job.” Peter could only nod in agreement. 

The high of finally putting Flash in his place lasted throughout the last period and the final AcaDec meeting of their lives. It was bittersweet, and not even the bully’s glaring and snide comments could bring the mood down. When the meeting came to an end, the graduating seniors met for a group hug, the last, before dispersing out the door. Peter walked with Ned and MJ out the front door and resisted the urge to groan aloud at the sight of Flash waiting for them.

“Penis, I want to know who you’re fucking for that necklace!” 

“You are awfully concerned with my sex life, maybe try getting one of your own.” Peter looked past the bully to find the Audi waiting by the curb, and a pleasant smile broke across his face as he moved forward, but Flash pushed him back. 

“No, who the hell would be willing to pay  _ you _ for sex? I’m sure they could do a lot better than you, Puny Parker. I mean, c’mon, you’re a poor nobody from Queens. Whoever it is will get sick of you eventually, and then you’ll be the same charity case as before.” As Flash spoke, Peter began to pat his pockets as if searching for his keys. “What the fuck are you looking for?”

With a mock frown, he looked up. “The fucks I’m supposed to give about your opinion. It seems I left them at home. Oh well, maybe try again tomorrow, Flash.” While the human gaped in shock, Peter took his chance and side-stepped before jogging off toward the Audi. Tony was inside; his expression displeased as looked the teen over.

“Who the hell is he and why did he touch you?” 

“Not important, did you put some kinda confidence spell on this stuff, because  _ wow.” _ Peter breathed, “I’ve never felt like this outside of my suit!” Tony glanced out the window where Flash was still staring at the tinted car and frowned, but let the subject change anyway. 

“No spells, Pete, that’s all you. You just needed a little kick. Pepper would call that your CEO attitude.” The webslinger leaned over and dragged him into a heady kiss without a care, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. Tony’s eyes were a bit glassy when he finally pulled back and stated, “I will buy you a million diamonds if you kiss me like that.” 

“I don’t need diamonds to kiss you like that,  _ Mr. Stark _ .” The use of his title made the older man shiver, and the teen gave him an almost predatory grin that seemed especially out of place on his soft features. 

“You’ll be the death of us, Pete,” he muttered before kissing him once more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The shark movie referenced with Steven is Deep Blue Sea, which is a bomb shark movie if you're into those as I am. I haven't watched the remake, so I recommend the original.


	15. nobody wanna see us together, but it don't matter no, cuz I got you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm back hoes. I might be out of school and only work four days a week, but like, those other three days I do not do shit. I mean to, but I just do not lmao. 
> 
> I aim for like 6 more chapters after this one, so this should get done pretty quick lol. 
> 
> In an unrelated note, uh fuck everyone who comes to a fast food place, orders 4+ burgers, and then complains about how long it takes. Like yeah fucko, you ordered 30 bucks worth of food knowing there was like three cars in front of you. People do be kinda fuckin stupid lmao.

“Do the others know about us?” Peter asked abruptly, setting his latest prototype of Spider-Bro on the table. Tony didn’t look away from the specs he was studying and shook his head.

“I don’t really go around telling them about my sex life,” he said, “I’m pretty sure it would scar poor Steve.” The spider rolled his eyes and bit his lower lip thoughtfully.

“Don’t you think they should?” That made the man pause in his work. He turned to look at Peter and motioned him closer until he rolled forward in his desk chair to bump knees with Tony.

“Do  _ you _ think they need to know?” Tony questioned, his tone light and curious as he observed the teen. 

“I mean, I don’t like keeping secrets from our teammates, they’re like family.” The man snorted and waved his pen in Peter’s direction.

“Okay, point taken, do you want to tell them now? I can call ‘em in here if you want.” It was Saturday morning, of course, they could come up, but Peter didn’t want to make some huge announcement. 

“Nah, maybe over, like, dinner or something. Make it more natural, ya know?” 

“I say send out a tweet and call it a day, but sure.” Peter reached out to swat Tony’s shoulder and slid his chair over, turning the man’s so he could slide between his knees. 

“Thank you.” Tony arched a brow as Peter peppered kisses across his face and caressed the teen’s freckled cheek. 

“For what?” 

“For being you, Tony.” He leaned up and kissed him gently. The beginnings of arousal were curling in his belly when a sharp ringing sounded through the room, effectively putting out that fire as he covered his ears. His hands barely did anything to muffle the sound, and it only got louder as Peter sank to the floor. He could vaguely register Tony’s thundering footsteps, and then the sound of metal smashing against the stone floor. 

Spots flashed behind his eyelids even as the lights dimmed, and Peter could feel the dizziness despite sitting on the ground. The world spun like a carousel x10, but a pair of arms wrapped around his chest and muscular thighs bracketed his body almost protectively. 

“I’ve got you, Pete, it’s okay. Just breathe, focus on my heartbeat if you can.” Peter did as he said, did his best to sift through the millions of sounds until he heard the steady thump of his lover’s heart. He matched his breathing and slowly opened his eyes. “Hey, I’m sorry, kid, I had to break your prototype. I panicked.” Peter didn’t feel too bad as Tony slowly rocked them on the cold floor. 

“It’s. It’s fine.” He felt the opposite of fine, but he would get there as long as Tony kept his hands on him. 

“What do you usually do in overload?” Tony asked softly. 

“Uh, suffer?” The older man chuckled, his chest moving against Peter’s back as his roughened fingertips traced random patterns on the exposed skin of his forearms. “Most of the time, I stay home and hide under my covers, honestly.”

“Have you ever thought about trying something else?” 

“Like what?” 

“Like drugs.” The suggestion shocked Peter because he thought that Tony had left his substance abuse behind years ago, but he knew that things weren’t always so black and white.

“Do you mean crack?” This time, Tony gave a full-belly laugh that resonated within the spiderling’s bones. 

“No, I meant marijuana, kid, jeez.” He flushed and resisted the urge to squirm in his arms. 

“No, I’ve never tried weed.” Tony is quiet for a few minutes and then pressed his lips to the shell of Peter’s ear. 

“Do you want to give it a shot?” The idea had merit. If it worked, then Peter had a coping mechanism for anxiety attacks and overloads, plus the fact that he would get to see his lover smoke as well. Like most gen-z kids, he had a definite kink for watching people smoke thanks to shitty Wattpad fanfictions and bad boy movies. Peter turned his head and rubbed his jaw against the man’s beard in a cat-like manner. 

“Doesn’t hurt to try,  _ Mr. Stark,”  _ he teased, “can we get off of the floor, though?” Tony hopped to his feet with more grace than a man his age should possess and offered his hand to the webslinger. They were silent as they took the elevator back to the penthouse as things were still  _ too _ clear, all the sounds too loud and the lights too bright. When they arrived back on their floor, the lighting was darkened, and the blinds drawn over the windows, making it easier to keep his eyes on Tony.

“You, sit. I will be right back, just keep breathin’.” Peter watched him jog off toward his bedroom and smiled to himself despite the residual effects of the overload still bogging his brain. Tony returned with a small wooden box in hand and a lighter you’d buy at any gas station with Mr. America’s shield on it. 

“You smoke weed that you lit with Captain America’s lighter? The irony.” Tony rolled his eyes as he plopped down beside him and flipped the box top open. “How does this work?” The older man pulled a cylindrical object from inside; tan paper rolled smoothly across the weed with a filter on one end. Tony placed it between his lips and ignited the lighter with an ease that only came from years of habit. 

“You light the end, inhale like your breathing, and pretty much just enjoy.” Tony’s chest expanded as he inhaled, head tilted back to expose his throat, and Peter’s jaw dropped as smoke billowed from his lips.  _ Woah… _ “Do you want to try?” 

“How often do you smoke?” 

“Uh, it depends really. I smoke joints like this casually, I’ll occasionally hit a bowl with stronger strains if I’m feeling particularly stressed, or a blunt if I just want to relax.” The webslinger didn’t know the difference but nodded his understanding anyway. 

“What’s the difference in strains and stuff? Does it really matter?” Tony took another hit, this one just as distracting as the first, and shrugged.

“To some, no, but everyone has a preference. I like indica over sativa, prefer the euphoric strains over the energetic. To each their own, you know.” 

“So, what is this?” Peter inquired curiously as Tony handed him the  _ joint _ , taking in the smoldering end and the filter that Tony had his lips wrapped around. 

“Green Goddess, it’s a hybrid which I can explain later if you’re interested,” he definitely was, “go ahead, try it. Go slow, so you don’t choke too bad.” His mind automatically conjured up a joke as he tried to mimic his lover, and then slowly inhaled. The smell and taste were different from cigarettes, not that he had anything other than second-hand experience with those, and then he began to cough. Not to be cliche, the back of his throat did burn a little. It wasn’t dissimilar to the time he took a shot at a party in his junior year, but Peter found that he enjoyed this more. 

“How long does it take?” Peter asked as he handed it back to Tony. “How am I supposed to feel?” 

“Well, it’s different for everyone. This should help you feel more relaxed, euphoric, et cetera,” he explained, “but with your metabolism and healing factor, you might have to smoke more than one joint, sweetheart. Don’t worry about smoking through this box; I can always buy more.” Tony nudged the box toward Peter, so he gingerly plucked one of the joints out and looked to him expectantly. The older man smiled and leaned forward to light it, his dark cocoa eyes twinkling as Peter took another hit. This one went down much smoother, and he actually enjoyed the burn this time. 

Halfway through the joint, things begin to dull around the edges. The room smelled almost fruity, and Peter liked the smell well enough, especially on Tony. He wasn’t sure how long they sat on the couch, but he nearly jumped out of his skin when the elevator suddenly dinged, but his partner didn’t seem worried. Tony smiled lazily as Pepper strode into the living room, all endless legs and painted crimson lips, and she arched an elegant brow at Peter as he tried to hide the joint from view.

“Corrupting our boy, Tony?” His body warmed all over at being called  _ theirs, _ and he found himself smiling goofily. 

“Nope, just helpin’ me out, Pepper.” She kicked off her heels before slowly lowering herself to sit next to Peter and took the joint from his hands. He watched with rapt attention as the CEO of Stark Industries took a hit like she had been doing it for years, eyes are drawn to the way she dropped her head back, and her throat worked. “Wow.” Pepper smiled as she exhaled and then leaned over to kiss Tony, then Peter. 

“I didn’t know you smoked,” the webslinger said softly, eyes glassy as Pepper’s fingertips trailed along his jean-covered thighs. 

“When Tony and I first started dating, it was one of the few things that would help him when he had panic attacks; it progressed from there until I asked to try.” 

“You’re hot when you smoke.” Tony chuckled and reached over to twirl the hair at the nape of Peter’s neck playfully. 

“And you are going to be mortified later. Tell us more.” Peter flopped across the man’s lap and tilted his chin up to ask for a kiss.

“You guys are hot all the time. You in your jeans, Pepper in her suits. Wow, Pepper in her suits is something else,” the spider muttered, “I always wanna touch when you’re in work attire, take you apart when you’re so well put together.” 

“Careful, Pete, she’s turning red.” He heard a dull slap, and then Tony was laughing. Peter nestled deeper into the older man’s lap, turning his head to burrow deeper into his warmth and closed his eyes.  _ Yeah, I could get used to this.  _

**~_~.~_~**

Peter woke up the next morning, his arms wrapped around Pepper and one hand interlaced with Tony’s across his abs. The older man was melded to his back while Peter held the woman close, and he sighed in contentment. 

Nestled between his two lovers, the webslinger thought about how the three of them were going to come out to their teammates. Tony’s idea of sending out a tweet did have merit, but Peter wanted something a bit more personal for their family.  _ Maybe a mass text. _

“Why do you wake up so early?” Pepper grumbled as she shifted in his arms, her face now pressed into his chest so that she could most likely hear his heartbeat.

“I don’t need a lot of sleep, Pep, haven’t since I got bit,” the brunet explained quietly, mindful of Tony still sleeping behind him. “Sorry if I woke you, I can go back to my room if you want.” 

“We’ve gotten used to sleeping with you; it would be unfortunate if you left.” The way she said it left it up to Peter, but he thought it meant she at least  _ wanted  _ him to stay. 

“We need to get up, someone will be starting breakfast soon, and if it isn’t us, then Clint might try,” he said with a soft chuckle, absently tracing his fingertips over the woman’s abdomen. 

“Or we could stay in bed,” Tony stated, his voice roughened from sleep in his ear, “it’s Sunday morning after all.” Peter shivered as the man’s lips brushed across his collarbone, coarse beard scraping lightly at his skin. 

“We could, but today we’re telling the team about us, and we can’t do that from bed,” the spiderling countered, biting back a groan as teeth bit into his shoulder and pectoral simultaneously. “You two don’t play fair.” 

“Where would the fun in that be?” 

Suffice to say; they were late for breakfast. Peter was giggling as the trio took the elevator down to the communal floor, Pepper tickling his sides through one of Tony’s faded Metallica t-shirts while he laughs at the two. When they walk into the kitchen, the woman’s arms wrapped around the spiderling’s waist while they giggle like children, all eyes turn to them. 

Natasha doesn’t look surprised, but the others are wearing various degrees of disbelief as Peter moved toward the stove once Pepper released him. The brunet knew he was redder than a tomato as he grabbed a plate of eggs and bacon, but found he didn’t care even when Mr. America’s eyes glued themselves to his neck. Tony’s  _ great  _ idea was to give Peter what could only be considered a necklace of hickies and let the team make their own assumptions, and Pepper ran with it. So now eight purpling marks stretched from the left collarbone to the right, clearly visible against his fair skin and the low-hanging neck of the t-shirt. 

“Good morning,” the spider greeted cheerfully. Natasha snorted from across the table and waved her fork in his direction.

“It must have been good for you,” Wanda commented with a knowing smirk. Her eyes dipped, and Peter flushed hotly as Cap began to cough to their amusement. Mr. Bucky patted his back though he was laughing as well. 

Finally, regaining his composure, Mr. America looked at Peter between his two lovers. “So, this is a thing?” Tony bristled to his right, but the brunet gently laced their fingers under the table and nodded. 

“Yep,” he replied, beaming at the supersoldier. Tony and Pepper had expected the most trouble from the two supersoldiers as they were from the 40s, but Peter knew that since they were together and had lived in one of the cities with the most prominent queer presence, he wasn’t worried. Pepper’s fingers landed on the exposed skin of his knee, nails slipping under his shorts to scratch lightly at his thighs and sending the young man into another fit of giggles. 

“Peter, are you  _ high _ ?” Mr. America’s scandalized tone only made Pepper and the brunet laugh harder. 

“He is! Oh my god, baby Pete is higher than a kite!” Normally he would have glared at Wanda for exposing him, but with the cannabidiol still running through his system, Peter only grinned dopily. “You are corrupting the baby, Stark.” Tony rolled his eyes and draped one arm over the younger man’s shoulders almost possessively. 

“He made his choice, just chose the right one.” Mr. Bucky returned Peter’s smile with one of his own.

“Мы должны курить вместе, маленький паук, у меня есть более сильные вещи, чем Старк,” he said simply, eyes darting toward the man in question. 

“Определенно, мистер Баки!” Breakfast continued normally with a few awkward questions, such as who the top was between him and Tony. Thankfully, they left them alone with good wishes once Peter stood to do the dishes beside Natasha. 

“Are you happy?” She asked softly as she dried the plates he handed her.

Peter didn’t hesitate to say, “I’m happier than I’ve ever been, Natasha. It’s everything I wanted; _they’re_ all I want.” This stupid air of domesticity and happiness that the spiderling carried ever since deciding to be with the couple brightened even his worse day, and he knew everyone noticed—kind of hard _not_ to notice how he smiled more. 

“Good, we all have your back regarding this, especially now that you are the CEO of Stark Industries,” she stated. 

“It’s not official yet,” he pointed out, “but thanks, Nat. I think I’m gonna need all the help I can get once this comes out to the rest of the world.” The two are quiet while they finish the remainder of the dishes, and then Nat leaned back against the sink.

“Not everyone will accept the unconventional relationship or understand.” Peter had thought about that, especially as he was becoming the CEO of a prominent company, but tried not to drive himself mad with worry.

“It doesn’t matter if everyone else understands; it only matters if we do. This is probably the one thing I get right now; it’s complicated and easy at the same time. I love it.” 

“Do you love them?” 

“I could,” Peter said softly, “it would be easy to fall in love with them.” Natasha chuckled and reached out to brush the brunet’s curls. 

“I think you’re already halfway there, маленький паук.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Мы должны курить вместе, маленький паук, у меня есть более сильные вещи, чем Старк. = We should smoke together, little spider, I have stronger stuff than Stark. 
> 
> Определенно, мистер Баки! - Definitely, Mr. Bucky!


	16. don't be sad, go get a tattoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, I turned 17 on the 16th, and I have now had an illegal tattoo for nearly a year. I love tattoos, I can't wait for more, I am ready to have professional ones tho lmao. Until then, I'm living vicariously through my characters and friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend tried to get me into Wallows like two years ago, but it wasn't my vibe, right? Well, fast forward to like the year after 13 reasons why came out and I'm finally watching, and Im out here like, "man, Clay really looks familiar." it was my man, Dylan Minnette! He looks so much happier outside of the show, and ugh I've finally gotten into his music. Especially Pictures of Girls and Are You Bored Yet?

It was raining again. It wasn’t that uncommon in New York, not by a long shot, but it had surprised Peter. It was sunny one minute and thundering the next, leaving the brunet and his friends drenched to the bone as they made it to the subway. It was still chilly when they stepped into the emptiest car, not even the tightly packed bodies could make it any warmer. 

The ride to the Tower was surprisingly quick and the three were glad to escape the cold. Shaking his hair out like a wet dog, Peter greeted the guards on duty with a wave and lead his friends through the metal detectors as usual. They get through without a hassle and head up to Peter’s floor while his lovers are still at work. 

Once inside his bedroom, Ned and MJ changed into their spare clothes tucked away in their duffel bags while Peter rooted through his closet for clean jeans and a loose long-sleeve. When he was finally dressed he flopped down on to his bean bag and snuggled into the fluffy cover. 

“So, what’s the reason for this impromptu sleepover?” MJ questioned when she settled on his bed. 

“Well, today it’s official. At twelve o’ one AM this morning, I am now the current owner of Stark Industries.” Peter stated. Ned’s jaw dropped almost comically and even MJ seemed shocked. 

“The  _ owner _ ?” 

“Yep,” he said, popping the ‘p’. “Pepper will remain CEO until I graduate college of course, and then I’ll be running and owning a Fortune 500. Crazy, huh?” The spiderling had a few weeks to get over his own shock at the way his life was going, so now he could enjoy theirs. 

“ Crazy?” MJ said incredulously, “Crazy would be Flash choosing not to be a dick for ten minutes. This? This is absolutely fucking insane, Pepe!” 

“Yeahh, that was kinda my reaction too,” he chuckled. “I’ve been training with Pepper during for CEO things and the employees already like me apparently, so it won’t be too different.” They processed this new information in silence. 

Ned was the one to break it. “How are you gonna be the CEO of Stark Industries  _ and _ be Spiderman? Don’t you think you’ll be wearing yourself a little thin?” Peter twisted the ring on his right finger for a split-second, the gems glittering in the light distractingly.

“I knew I would have to come out as Spiderman at some point, I guess it will just be sooner than I thought.” The webslinger said with a shrug, trying not to let it show that this had been keeping him up for a few nights. “My anonymity is a sacrifice I’m willing to make if it means I get to keep both parts of my life.” The discussion is tabled for the time being as none of them had much to say, especially not Peter. He only wanted them to know before the announcement was released after graduation, even though the entire Tower should know by now. He was expecting the others to say something any day but for now, the webslinger was content to worry about his appointment in two hours.

As a legal adult, Peter B. Parker (hopefully Stark, someday) could finally get a tattoo. The young man had been saving since he was sixteen and now was his chance. MJ had found a mutant-ran tattoo parlor and Ned had secured the appointment, so now all they had to do was show up. The spiderling had his designs picked out and was nervous yet super excited for this new adventure. He only hoped his lovers like them as well. 

The trio talked about random things, theorized about where the field trip would be taking them, but Peter fell silent when he heard the elevator approaching. His leg began to bounce nervously as he listened to the approaching footsteps and only stalled once the door opened. Pepper came into view looking like a goddess in her suit and beamed at three teens. 

“Hey, you guys, how was school?” There was a simultaneous ‘good’ from Peter and Ned, while MJ simply shrugged. “What are you guys thinking for dinner? No one’s cooking tonight so Tony said to order whatever.” Her eyes kept darting to Peter and he noticed her fingers twitched. She wanted to touch him, to reach out but wasn’t sure if she could. 

So, Peter smiled and said, “They know, Pep.” She looked between Ned and MJ before striding forward and cupping his cheek gently. The young man leaned into her touch with a smile as he gazed upward into her eyes, wondering if he could risk a kiss. Instead of asking he simply lifted his chin and pouted, but Pepper only shook her head slightly. 

“Let me know what you guys want to eat,” was thrown over her shoulder as she breezed out of his bedroom and he watched her go with a forlorn sigh.  _ I really wanted a kith.  _

“Quit simpin’, Pepe.” MJ teased while rolling her eyes, but Peter stuck his tongue out in reply. 

“I don’t want to hear it, mhm-jay, we are all simpin’ for our respective partners, and if you think otherwise I will not hesitate to call Shuri.” The valedictorian glared and flipped him off. 

“Bitch.” 

“Looks like we know who the bottom is,” Ned commented, only to yelp when she threw a pillow at him. “Peter, defend me!”

“Sorry,” the webslinger laughed, “us bottoms have to stick together.” MJ’s reply was to hit him as well. 

After the impromptu pillow fight, MJ reminded them about the appointment. It was still raining so Peter suggested they take a cab since he had the money for once and didn’t want to bother Happy with something that doesn’t register on the older man’s radar, so the trio piled into the first one they found. The spiderling watched the meter as all broke people do despite Tony’s insistence that the heavy American Express in his wallet could pay for a cab from New York to California if he wanted. Still, some habits were hard to break and anything money-related didn’t come easy to the teen who grew up poor. 

Thankfully the parlor was only a ten-minute drive and he felt significantly better when he swiped the credit card. They dashed inside one by one, less wet than before, and Peter awkwardly approached the clean counter. 

“Hi, I’m, uh, Peter Parker. I have an appointment for four.” His words came out quiet but clear so he took that as a win, as well as a sign that Pepper’s public speaking practice was paying off. The woman behind the counter was of a pixie-like stature but a bright blue mohawk added about three inches. 

“Welcome, Peter Parker, we have you set up in Room One with Stiles. Go ahead and go on back, he’ll be in there in a few. Hopefully.” The teen nodded and glanced down quickly at her nametag. 

“Thanks, Cora!” They walked down the hall quietly to avoid disturbing others and entered the last room in the surprisingly long hallway. It was fairly simple with matte gold walls, but there was a symbol painted across from the door. A triskelion if he hazarded a guess. 

Taking a seat in the chair, Peter got a feel for his surroundings from the booklets hanging from the wall to a small-ish cabinet where he assumed the ink was. The spider’s focus was drawn when the door opened and a skinny young man swaggered in with more confidence than his skinny body should hold. He was obviously the artist if the nametag was any indication, plus the name Stiles was printed across it in handwriting that was worse than the teen’s own. He was taller than Peter, which wasn’t saying much, and had these honey-brown eyes that glimmered when the sunlight hit them just right.

“Hey, Peter I assume?” 

“That’s me, Stiles, right?” The artist’s teeth seemed oddly sharp when he grinned but Peter tried not to fixate. 

“Yup, I’ll be doin’ some of your work today unless you get tired of me, which in that case Allison will take over since we share the same specialty.” The teen was curious about all the specialties and made a mental note to ask once the other man once the art began if he didn’t mind. Stiles opened his mouth again but before he could say anything the door opened once more, only this time a frighteningly pretty redhead stepped in. 

“Here are Mr. Parker’s designs, you’re doing the first two and then Kira has the third. Let me know when you’re finished and I’ll get Jacks in to bandage them up.” She spoke with clarity and then left without another word, not even turning back when Stiles called out his thanks.

Turning back to Peter, he said, “That’s Lydia, the light of my life. And also the manager of this fine establishment. Anyways, are you ready?” The teen nodded and watched as Stiles began to work. While the artist traced the first piece onto his right wrist, the signature Avengers A to signify his status and pride, Peter decided to ask his first question.

“So, are you guys mutants?” Stiles chuckled as he drew on to the parchment paper and his shaggy, brown hair shook with the motion.

“Not really.” It wasn’t exactly an answer. 

“So you’re humans who cater to mutants?” MJ inquired, her eyes narrowed.

“Again, not really. We cater to anyone who can’t go to a regular parlor whether that be mutants or someone who likes the secrecy we keep. Sometimes it’s not even mutants, but normal people with an accelerated healing factor,” Stiles explained happily, probably unaware of the girl’s suspicion. “My boyfriend, Derek, is like that. He needs special equipment to get a tattoo, just like you.” Peter understood and respected what the Hale Parlor was doing for people like him. 

Stiles finished the tracing and then produced a wet rag from somewhere which he pressed against the paper. While they waited, Peter asked, “You mentioned specialties, what’s yours?” 

“Blackwork, but I can do a little bit of tribal if I need to. That’s more of Jordan’s specialty though so I leave it to him.” 

“Okay, what’s Kira’s specialty?” Stiles smiled almost indulgently as he peeled the paper away and Peter nearly gasped at the icy blue outline against his fair skin. 

“She’s a traditionalist; roses, anchors, et cetera. And because I know you’re gonna ask, Jackson is our resident tattoo and piercing care expert. He teaches the recipients proper care and makes sure they’re all good when they leave.” Peter blushed and resisted the urge to sink into the seat in embarrassment. He hadn’t meant to be annoying. “Don’t worry, I was just like you when I was in high school. People couldn’t get me to shut up.” 

The teen fell silent when Stiles began prepping the gun and instead looked to his friends. Ned gave him a supportive thumbs up while MJ nodded, the biggest sign he would get from her. Peter could hear the steady hum of the machine and was slightly worried the buzzing would send him into overload when coupled with the pain, but he was still willing to try.  _ I’ve come this far, what’s one step further.  _

“Alright, ready, Peter?” 

“Uh, yes?” He inwardly cringed when it came out as a question rather than confident as he had hoped. 

“Okay, make sure you don’t tense up or it will hurt more.” Peter did his best to do as the artist said and was surprised that the first swipe passed without much pain. The feeling was more uncomfortable than painful, and even the buzzing was tolerable. “Good?” 

Beaming, the spider nodded. “Keep going, please.” 

~_~.~_~

It took roughly two hours for Stiles to do the first pieces so it was already past six. Tony had asked where they were and had accepted his vague reply, thank Thor, and then Jacks showed up. He was different from Stiles. Shorter but more muscled, like a swimmer or runner, and had an air of arrogance about him. He was surprisingly patient while Peter asked questions about care seeing as he had an insanely fast healing factor, and was even gentler when placing a bandage over his wrist and the back of his neck. That one had stung more, especially near the base of his spinal cord, but it was worth it. 

“How ya doin’, Peter? Still down for the last one?” Stiles inquired gently, once Jacks left the room. 

“Yeah, better to do it now.” 

“Alright, well, I’ll send Kira in. Try not to move your head too much.” Peter could feel himself healing already while he waited for the next artist. 

“They look epic, Pete! Everyone is gonna be so surprised on Monday.” Thankfully Midtown had a three day weekend so it wouldn’t be too surprising that his new tattoos would be undressed already come Monday. 

“I’m just trying to get all the shock value I can. Diamonds, tattoos, CEO of SI,” he stated with a grin, “Natural progression, guys.” Before either one could reply the next artist walked in. This time it was a woman with cropped black hair in a crop-top. Peter could see what looked like a tail wrapped around her right side in a vibrant silver, almost like lightning. 

“Hey, I’m Kira, it’s nice to meet you.” She was just as perky as Stiles and her smile was infectious for all of them. “Stiles said you were still all good, but I just want to make sure.” 

“Yep, all set.” Peter confirmed, mildly surprised when Kira began tracing the roses onto his forearm. “How long have you been doing tattoos?” 

“Well, I went to college straight out of high school for art and then apprenticed my senior year. We all put money together and opened up Hale House Parlor three years ago,” she explained, a small smile on her lips as she worked. 

“Wow,” Ned murmured, “you’re only 27?” Kira nodded, hair bobbing and sending up the scent of orange blossoms. 

“Yeah, and Stiles is 28. The majority of us are in our twenties besides Derek.” It was nice that a group so young already had a thriving business. It gave Peter hope for his own future. The tattooing began once more, all heat and buzzing, and the spider resisted the urge to tense his arms. Since this was a bigger piece Peter kept quiet while she worked and instead pulled out his phone to answer a text from the group chat with his lovers. 

Tony: Be safe getting back

Tony: What do you want for nourishment Pete? 

Pep: Ask Ned and Michelle 

“What do you guys want for dinner?”

“What does Daddy Warbucks want?” MJ retorted, the name making both boys snort. Kira raised a brow but didn’t say anything to Peter’s immense satisfaction. 

“He said for us to choose, so hurry up before I tell him sushi.” The two shared a look and seemed to have a silent conversation in the span of a minute. 

“Italian or Chinese works,” Ned offered, while MJ put her vote in for Chinese. 

Petey: We would like Chinese 

Petey: Also MJ called you Daddy Warbucks so make sure mock her for that pls and thank you

Peter watched the typing bubble pop up and then stop twice. 

Tony: I’m electing to ignore that comment

Tony: I’ll get the usual baby, see you back home

If the spiderling was an emoji he would be the one with hearts all around him. 

“Quit making heart eyes in public, Parker, it’s obscene,” MJ threw out, a slight smirk on her lips as he blushed. 

“Shut up, Mhm-Jay, or I will call Shuri.” The girl rolled her eyes and scratched her nose with her middle finger.

“Your partner?” Kira inquired curiously, her tone indifferent. 

“Uh, yeah, he’s asking’ about dinner. Obviously…” Peter trailed off awkwardly, running his free hand through his hair once his phone was back in his pocket. “He’s making sure we’re all happy.” 

The artist nodded her understanding. “My girlfriend does that. Malia once ran through the rain to get me pizza during exam week our junior year when I had a breakdown.” She laughed so Peter found himself doing the same though he was careful not to jostle the needle. 

This piece alone takes two and a half more hours plus fifteen of care with Jacks. It’s eight o’clock and Peter’s lovers are mildly worried from their text tone, but it’s finally done. His skin tingled as he gingerly tugged the sleeve of his shirt down over the wrapping but it was nothing the webslinger couldn’t handle. 

“Thank you so much, I really love them!” Kira returned his smile with one of her own and shook his hand with surprising strength for a human. 

“That’s what we love to hear, come back any time, Peter.” With that, the three exited the room and Peter stopped by the front desk, but instead of Cora behind the counter it was a broad man with bunny teeth and Stiles. 

“Hey, Peter, done already?” The lanky brunet inquired as he stopped in front of the pair to pay for the art. 

“Yep, all set. How much do I owe you?” 

“Twelve-hundred even, kid.” The man’s voice was deep and gruff, and his canines were pointed in a wolf-like manner. Peter pulled out his wallet and parted with twelve hundreds, albeit slightly hesitant. It was the most money the teen had ever held in his life but as a Fortune 500 owner it would only grow according to Tony. The thought of having so much money terrified him for a split-second but then Peter smiled and released his hold on the bills. 

“Have a nice evening, it was nice meeting all of you.” Stiles waved enthusiastically as the trio exited the parlor and MJ leaned over to nudge the webslinger’s shoulder as they walked. The rain must have stopped while they were inside so it wasn’t too hot on their trek back to the Tower at least. 

“That was a nice place, so were they,” she commented. “Think they’re like you?” 

“Didn’t say they were mutants, so unless they’re aliens or something I don’t know.” They didn’t appear to be alien but the world was bigger than they once thought so he couldn’t make any assumptions. 

They arrived back to the Tower and headed for the private elevator to avoid the escaping interns and employees who stayed late. Peter was nervous about what his lovers might think, but he knew that no matter what they thought of them, it wouldn’t change his feelings. The doors slid open on the top floor to reveal Tony and Pepper chilling on the couch, both in casual clothes to the teen’s joy.  _ I love Pepper in his clothes almost as much as her suits. _

“Hey, where have you guys been? It’s been so quiet around here, we’re going crazy,” Tony teased without looking away from his StarkPad. 

“It’s a surprise,” was Peter’s reply. “Where’s the food at?” Pep chuckled and pointed to the kitchen with a manicured nail. Once Ned and MJ are out of view the teen quickly leaned down to steal a kiss from Tony to his surprise. Pepper typed away at her laptop but paused when Peter stared at her expectantly. She offered him a slower kiss, scraping her nails down his jaw lightly and nipping his lip as she pulled away.

“Go, eat before you waste away.” Peter blew a joking kiss before joining his friends and settled at the island with a dopey grin. He grabbed the three containers marked with Petey-pie and tucked in with gusto.  _ Man, I am  _ **_starving_ ** _.  _

Once they finished eating they retire to his room for the night for movies and junk food. It was MJ’s turn to pick so that meant documentaries, but neither boy complained as she always knew the best ones. The first up was one about the Megalodon, which MJ is adamant still roams the oceans somehow. Each time Peter or Ned pointed out the inaccuracies in the data or finds she would shush them loudly until they shut up or threw her sour skittles with scary accuracy. 

Throughout the night Peter wondered if he could sneak off for a few minutes with his lovers, but felt bad each time for wanting to leave his friends. They might all be attending NYU in the fall but with their different majors, Peter doubted there would be much time for sleepovers as they grew up. The thought was disheartening, but the webslinger would make the best of the situation. 

Between the first and second documentary, Peter webbed himself a hammock so MJ could have the bed and got settled in for the long night. Ned fell asleep first around eleven during  _ Year Million _ and MJ near the end of  _ Drain the Bermuda Triangle _ , leaving the spiderling to his thoughts. 

Whatever came on next was turned down low so as to not wake the other two up, so Peter rolled over and closed his eyes. He twisted and turned for what felt like ever, the soft glow from the flatscreen eerily bright against his eyelids. With a huff, Peter hopped down silently from his makeshift bed and padded down the hallway to the kitchen. The stove clock read two fifty-three, the teen groaning as he realized he wouldn’t be sleeping tonight. 

Peter had gotten used to sleeping with Tony and Pepper for the past two weeks that sleeping alone didn’t settle his mind anymore. His Star Wars sheets had nothing on being wrapped in their arms or waking up to their faces each morning. The teen had no idea what he would do if the relationship ended badly; he was already so dependant on the way they made him feel. Grabbing a bottle of juice from the fridge, Peter slipped out on to the balcony quiet and leaned against the railing. 

A gentle breeze rustled his hair and he sighed softly. Overthinking was Peter. B. Parker’s hamartia. His mind ran wild with what the future could hold in both his relationship and career. He didn’t know if he would make Tony proud as the new owner or Pepper as the acting CEO. It was worse to think that Peter could disappoint them as their boyfriend and to have them stay out of obligation. 

“Can’t sleep?” The webslinger practically jumped out of his skin at Pepper’s soft question, inwardly cursing for letting himself be so distracted that he didn’t notice her approach. 

“Uh, no,” the  _ not alone _ hang between them. Pepper sidled up beside him and matched positions. She stood close enough that he could feel the warmth radiating off of her and found himself leaning into it unconsciously. 

“Where did you three run off to today?” Oh, yeah.

“I got a tattoo.” Her eyebrows rose in surprise but Peter could see a flicker of interest. 

“Really? Did it work with your healing factor?” She inquired curiously, eyes looking him over as if to find them for herself but the wrappings were still covered by his shirt. 

“MJ found a special parlor, so hopefully. Don’t worry,” he added, “it was totally safe.” Peter angled his body a little more to look up into her eyes, sighing softly when the redhead dipped her head to claim a kiss. It was a level of gentle that Pepper didn’t typically display and the spiderling could spend hours trading kisses like this. No expectations, nowhere to be; just the two of them. The only thing that could make it better would be a repeat of their first night together. 

“Can I see it?” Pepper whispered against his lips and he nodded without thought.  _ Man, I’m a sucker for her voice.  _ Peter reached for the hem of his shirt but then her fingers loosely grasped his wrist. “Wait, I have a feeling Tony would pout if he didn’t get to enjoy your new tattoo as well. Will Ned and Michelle miss you tonight?” 

“Nah, they’ll be out till morning for sure.” Not that the teen would care if they weren’t.  _ They know where the kitchen is, they’ll be fine.  _ Peter followed his lover inside and down to their room where Tony is absently messing around with a hologram. He “threw” it to the side when he saw the two enter and beamed at the webslinger before tugging him into another kiss. 

“We missed you today, Petey, where did you run off?” Peter let himself be maneuvered toward the bed but pushed Tony down instead. 

“Our boy got a tattoo,” Pepper chimed in slyly as she sat behind her husband. Her limbs wrapped around him like an octopus and winked at Peter over his shoulder. Tony arched a brow and his lips slowly twitched up into a smirk. 

“A tattoo, huh?” Tony hummed. “Can we see?” The webslinger grinned and peeled his shirt off slower than necessary, delighting in Pepper’s darkened gaze when her eyes trailed down his finely muscled torso. 

“Yeah, you can see them.” Peter put more emphasis on the last word and turned around to show off the bandage on the back of his neck. 

“Did that not hurt?” Pepper asked gently as Peter peeled it away. 

“It burned a little, but nothing too bad. At least, not worse than getting stabbed that one time.” Her eyes hardened for a second but then widened as the spider hanging from the base of his skull was revealed. She reached out and brushed her fingertips across the ink sending a shiver down the teen’s spine. 

“You said them,” she murmured, “as in plural.” The spiderling grinned and raised the sleeves of his shirt. The next one to come off was the iconic Avengers A on his right wrist. 

“You guys can’t save the world forever, some day it will be left to me and whoever else we drag into this,” Peter explained softly before tugging the final bandage away. “And I just like roses?” It was a relatively simply half-sleeve but what made it unique was the raised skin beneath the band near his elbow. There, etched into his fair skin with an expertly wielded scalpel, was two birthdays. Because no matter how their relationship ended, Pepper Potts and Tony Stark would always be a big part of his life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope someone caught the name references and linked em. I love the idea of all of them running a tattoo/piercing parlor together, where things are uncomplicated.


	17. Oh no, I think I'm catchin' feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yo we got like a handful of chapters left, this might be the first thing I've finished since like sixth grade lol
> 
> also I have no title inspiration so I went with that, but it don't really fit so if you have a better idea I'm all ears

“I think we’re going to Hammer Tech, no one else has this many forms to fill out,” Ned commented as the final stack of forms was passed back to them. 

“We went to Hammer Tech sophomore year, why the secrecy now?” MJ retorted quietly as she flipped through the pages. Before either boy could put forth any other ideas, Mr. Harrington stood from his desk. 

“Alright guys, this is the last of the forms, but the most important right now is the one on the top,” he began. “This is a list of requirements and a few basic guidelines you will be expected to follow. You are allowed to bring a bag but they will be searched before and after, so if you don’t want to wait then you’re better off leaving it at home. Yes, Cindy?” 

“What about money for food? Or are we bringing our lunch?” 

“No, where we’re going will be providing food, but they do have a gift shop so take that as you will,” Harrington said with a shrug. “The biggest rule, no phones.” At that numerous voices cried out, the loudest one being Flash to no one’s surprise. 

“What happens if you bring one?” 

“Well, the paper tells you the consequences so you read those and decide for yourself, Mr. Thompson.” Peter wasn’t too worried about not having his phone because if worse came to worst then he’d still have his watch, glasses, and earbuds. He would never be truly defenseless. The webslinger tuned out the rest of the rules because he honestly didn’t care, and rubbed his thumb across the dates on his forearm. 

The spider thought back to his conversation with Tony Sunday morning about Harley coming up now that he was a college graduate. His fellow science child and boyfriend to one Harry Osborn was due any day now and Peter was excited. The last time the two got to hang was last summer since he came to “intern” unofficially. Now, the southerner was moving up and becoming an official intern working in the engineering labs. A few of the others down there have already met Harley so at least they knew what they were getting into. What they didn’t know was that he only gets worse. 

A sharp kick to the side of his kick brought Peter from his memories of creating chaos with Harley. “Ow, what the hell, Ned?” The other boy smiled sheepishly but gestured to the other students already out the door. Peter hummed to himself as he shoved the forms into his backpack and accidentally met Mr. Harrington’s eyes while he continued to talk despite the fact that no one was listening. 

“Remember, these must be signed by a legal parent or guardian, otherwise you won’t be permitted on to the premises.” The teacher gave him a pointed look which he  _ pointedly _ ignored and shrugged his bag higher onto his shoulders. 

“What were you thinking about?” Ned asked as they stopped by their lockers. 

“Harley’s moving up, he’s supposed to be here soon apparently,” Peter replied happily, content to ignore his teacher’s lack of belief in him. “Tony’s excited, of course. He feels younger with us around, or so Pep says.” 

“Well, tell him he owes me a rematch in Halo, and ten bucks. See you tomorrow, Pete.” The spider waved his friend away and continued on down the hallway to the exit. He reached the bottom step when he heard a familiar voice.

“Ah, I’m waitin’ for someone. I owe ‘im a ride home.” Peter broke out into a grin and jogged around the corner to find one Harley Keener surrounded by teenage girls. 

“Who are you waiting for?” One freshman asked, a polite smile on her glossed lips. Harley smirked and tilted his head to the side to nod at Peter. 

“Hey, Pete, ready to go?” The teen flushed under the group’s heavy stares and nodded as he stepped up beside the southerner. “It was nice to meet y’all, good luck with high school and all that.” Peter could barely contain his laughter as Harley threw an arm over his shoulder and steered him away from Midtown High. 

“Who’d have thought the big, bad Harley Keener was afraid of some girls,” Peter teased. The older boy glared at him and flicked his ear in retaliation for his cheek.

“High school girls make me uncomfortable, you know that. They’re like baby gazelles, all wide-eyed and stuff, I hate it.” Harley shuddered and Peter rolled his eyes in good nature before shoving the boy off of him. 

“It’s because you don’t swing for that team, Harley, there’s nothing wrong with them.” He fixed Peter with a raised brow making him chuckle. “Okay, there’s nothing  _ too  _ wrong with them.” Peter agreed that high school girls were a different level of scary. 

“How’s senior year been, Mini Stark?” The webslinger grimaced at the nickname and slugged Harley in the shoulder, mindful of his strength.

“You’d know if you called more,” Peter retorted. 

“I’m sorry, I was busy getting my PhD, Peter. I called when I could.” The two took the private entrance into the tower and rode the elevator up to their floor trading teasing jokes. Tony was talking animatedly on the phone and took a step toward Peter, his eyes lighting up visibly, but paused with a glance toward Harley. The three had agreed to keep their throuple status under wraps until Peter had a chance to gauge the southerner’s reaction, but it was still a bit weird not being greeted with a kiss. 

“Yeah, Rhodey-bear, I’ll talk to you later. Yes, I’ll eat dinner. Alright, bye now, bye!” The two boys laughed as Tony shoved his phone into the pocket of his jeans.  _ Mmm, Tony in jeans. Nice.  _ “Hey, Keener, you’re early.” Harley moved forward and hugged the billionaire tightly while Peter met his eyes with a gentle smile. 

“The sooner I arrived, the sooner I got to harass you, Tony. God knows I could never pass up an opportunity like that.” Tony rolled his eyes and tousled his tawny curls. 

“You two are gonna turn me grey.” 

“That would carry more weight if you weren’t already grey,” Peter replied drily. His lover’s jaw dropped indignantly and then pouted.

“Pepper likes the grey,” he muttered while stalking away from the boys, “says it makes me look distinguished.” The boys chortled as they made their way to Peter’s room and the brunet flopped back onto his bed with a happy sign. 

“What’s it like, livin’ here with them?” Harley inquired from the floor where he was stretched out in the bean bag, looking every bit the model he wasn’t. 

“It’s nice,” was all he could say. Kind of hard to find anything else to describe what living with your married lovers was like. “I go to school, I smoke, I do Spidey-things. I hang out with Ned and Mhm-Jay too since we’ll be off to college in the fall.” Harley sat up abruptly and arched a brow. 

“You smoke?  _ You _ ?” Peter rolled his eyes and tossed a pillow at the older boy. “There’s no way, Pete, you’re the friendly neighborhood Spiderman!” Rolling over to the head of his bed, the webslinger pressed a button on his bedside table. The top of the table slid away to reveal a hidey-hole and a small wooden box. He tossed it down to Harley and watched as he opened the lid to reveal neatly rolled joints. 

“Well, holy fuck,” Harley breathed. 

“I told you.” Peter was slightly smug and took the box back to put it away, but not before plucking two out. “Do you smoke?” Without a word, Harley took one and pulled a lighter from the front pocket of his dusty jeans. 

“I lived in a backward ass town in the middle of East Tennessee, of course, I smoke,” he retorted, “What else was I supposed to do?” So they lit the ends of their respective joints and basked in the silence for a few moments before Peter laid back against his mountain of pillows. 

“How’s Harry?” 

“He withdrew all the money he’s sequestered away and we’re movin’ into the apartment in a week or so,” the southerner stated proudly, “all he has to do is tell his sperm donor and then he’s home-free.” It was no secret that Norman Osborn didn’t approve of Harley’s relationship with his son, but that wouldn’t matter. Harry was getting out from under his thumb and then they’d be free to be as happy as Peter was with his lover. Harley deserved to be happy after his mom. 

“I can’t picture posh Harrison Osborn in some Brooklyn apartment,” the spiderling pointed out with a small smile. 

“Yeah, me neither but it’ll work out,” Harley shrugged, “What about you, Pete?” 

“What about me?” The teen sat the roach down in an ashtray and watched the embers burn out for a second. 

“No special someone in your life?” 

“Of course,” the spiderling said seriously, “Arlo the Slime.” Harley huffed from the huff and threw the pillow back at the teen. 

“You’re an ass. You know what I mean, Pete, anyone romantic paramours on your horizon?” 

“Am I limited to one?” Peter inquired thoughtfully, his mind seeing the entrance to the upcoming conversation. 

“The only limits we have are self-imposed,” Harley replied absently, blowing smoke from his nose expertly. “Love ain’t limited to one person. Didya finally get yer head outta your ass and tell Papa Stark how you feel? Been moonin’ over him since you were eighteen after all.” 

Peter’s jaw dropped comically. “What?”

“Did you think no one noticed?” The southerner chuckled and ran a hand through his curls. “You’re the least subtle guy I know, Pete, it was pretty damn obvious.” Peter shrugged resisted the urge to trace his roses. 

“If I was?” He asked quietly, “With him, I mean.” Harley took another inhale and then broke out into a grin. 

“I’d say it’s about damn time you found someone. I had hoped after your disastrous date with MJ forever ago you’d find someone else, and I was right. How did Pepper take your feelins’?” 

“Surprising to say the least. It definitely ended better than I thought,” Peter muttered. Harley eyed him curiously for a moment and then nodded. 

“So, what kind of arrangement do y’all got?” he asked offhandedly, “Is Tony yours on the weekends? Alternating date nights?” The webslinger huffed as he tried to articulate a response that made sense, but his haze-addled brain wasn’t cooperating, so he glanced to the ceiling.

“FRIDAY, is Pepper on the floor?” 

“Mrs. Potts-Stark is in the elevator, Mini Stark.” Peter didn’t acknowledge the name and instead smiled at Harley.

“Please tell her I need her to come see me when she arrives,” he said happily, knowing it would be easier to show the southerner rather than explain it. Not five minutes later there’s a knock on his door. “Come in!” Pepper stepped inside looking immaculate in a dark blue dress and smiled softly at the two boys. 

“You said you needed me?” Peter slid off the bed, limbs slightly heavy, and reached out to wrap his hand around the back of her neck.

“Harley asked how our dynamic works,” he started, taking in her furrowed brows. “I figured it was better to show him.” Peter tilted his neck upward and kissed her softly, grinning against her lips when her fingers grasped at his jaw tenderly. After a second, when the webslinger was sure that Harley got the idea, he withdrew from her grasp and smiled dopily as he turned to face the other boy. Harley’s slack-jawed expression was enough to make Peter double over in laughter and even drew a chuckle from his lover.

“Get it now?” He questioned between bouts of laughter, but Harley only stared between the two.

“So, you’re with Pepper?” Peter could have face-palmed, because for a genius the other boy sure was dense, and that’s what he told him. 

“Both, Harley, I’m dating both,” the teen explained simply. To Harley’s credit, he didn’t seem anything other than mildly confused.

“Well, it’s glad I’m already sittin’, because that news woulda knocked me on my ass,” he replied, almost to himself, “I really thought it was just Tone, but good for you, kid. Bagged two of the hottest people on the planet, nice.” 

“There better be a good reason you’re calling my wife hot, Keener.” Peter rolled his eyes as Tony dropped a possessive arm over her shoulder and smirked. 

“He was congratulating me, actually.” The spiderling took residence on the billionaire’s other side nudged him until he dropped his arm on Peter’s shoulder as well. “Apparently I bagged two of the hottest people on the planet.” To say that Tony preened would be an understatement. 

“He’d be correct, I mean, have you seen Pepper?” The redhead blushed and smacked Tony’s chest with the back of her hand, but Peter could hear her heart speed up in reply. “I definitely got the hottest set though.” This time both flushed under the praise which sent Harley into his own laughing fit that, once he got past the slight embarrassment, Peter joined. 

Tony’s grip tightened on his shoulder just so and he leaned into the touch. Harley was just one person on the list of people who needed to be told about their status before the announcement, but for now, the southerner’s acceptance was a step in the right direction.


	18. This is the WORST timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y'all we're so close to bein done holy shit. We're finally getting into the field trip too!

“If you’re so nervous about it, you don’t have to go,” Tony commented lazily from where he lounged on the bed. Pepper laid her head across his lap, StarkPad resting against her raised knees, and smiled at the teen. 

“What’s one day of school, Peter?” The webslinger pouted as he paced and rubbed at the A on his wrist. 

“Ned and M.J. are looking forward to spending the day at some mystery location, though, and I know we won’t be able to spend much time together once we all start school, so-” Peter paused in his rambling and instead focused on Tony’s hand. Specifically, the one sliding higher up Pepper’s bare thigh. “You guys, let me have my crisis!” He whined. 

“Honey, you have an obvious choice. Go,” Pepper said, “or don’t. I vote you go though, who knows what teenage thing you’d miss out on if you don’t.” The teen pouted but finally flopped onto the end of the bed face-first. 

“C’mon, Pete, let us distract you.” He responded to Tony as he always did, ready and eager. The same with Pepper’s searching hands. His lovers distracted him well enough until the morning where he has to be ready by seven. 

Peter had to slap away their wandering hands in the shower, plus outside it when standing in front of their now shared closet. The trio had talked once Harley went to bed, and the teen admitted to not sleeping as well without them. The solution was for him to move into the master bedroom with them. There, Tony had already contracted a spare section of the closet to be built specifically for his stuff. They spent Saturday morning moving his things in and the evening catching up with Harley and telling him the future of Stark Industries. 

The webslinger still had his room, of course, he just didn’t use it for sleeping anymore. The bed was gone and instead had one long bookshelf and two futon chairs for when his friends stayed over, both in a dark blue like his suit. Peter spent most of his time there studying or researching if he wasn’t in the lab, and the door remained shut, which they respected. 

“What do I wear? Mr. Harrington said casual, but like, what’s too casual?” 

“Well, I doubt you’re going to a strip club, so no crop-tops,” the genius commented, already decked out in his usual jeans and t-shirt. Tony grabbed a few hangers and then pushed them into the teen’s arms. “Try these, it should work for you.” Peter did as told and surveyed his appearance in one of the mirrors. A dark red t-shirt clung to his chest, tucked into the waistband of a pair of Tony’s dark-wash jeans, and a light blue jean jacket stretched across his broad shoulders. Coupled with the black diamonds Pepper draped around his neck, Peter looked pretty damn hot. 

“Thanks, guys!” He exclaimed, craning his neck to press a kiss to each of their cheeks. The spiderling raced out the door, only pausing to scoop the small bag he packed last night off the floor and to the elevator. Rather than get distracted by one of his lovers in the car, Peter chose to walk to school. It was sunny and mild out, the sun barely rising overhead, and the teen couldn’t stop smiling despite the churning in his gut. 

The spiderling reached Midtown High, where a few others were already gathered, including Ned and M.J. “Morning, guys, Harrington say where we’re going?” M.J. shook her head as she picked at her already immaculate nails, expression indifferent. 

“Nope, he’s just been flirting with Ms. Abernathy the whole time.” The three grimaced as they watched their teacher stumble over his words while talking to the blonde chemistry instructor. “Gross.” 

“Agreed,” Peter muttered as he turned away. He opened his mouth to ask about their plans afterward, but a figure bumping into him paused the thought. 

“Watch it, Penis.” He watched the sneering boy swagger off and shook his head. 

“We stray further and further from God each day,” the webslinger said solemnly. The trio shared a slow nod before devolving into laughter that drew the other students’ attention. After that, they made light conversation, Peter and M.J. arguing about the Megalodon while Ned threw his two cents in every so often. The teen absently fiddled with the ring on his right hand until the bus pulled up and then dropped both hands while waiting to board. 

Peter chose a seat near the middle, him and Ned in one while M.J. claimed the one adjacent. She stretched out her long legs while the two boys huddled together, knees touching, and whispered about new Lego sets that Ned had pulled up on his phone. Harrington called roll to make sure everyone on board before the bus began moving, and the pit that had lessened was back again with intensity. 

“Alright, you guys, gimme your attention for a minute!” Harrington called out, making the majority of conversations pause save for a few in the back. “You’ve all been patient, so now is the time to tell you where we’re going. We have been awarded a tour to the illustrious Stark Industries!” Peter’s jaw dropped as his classmates erupted into cheers. Son of a bitch… The teen fumbled to pull his phone from his jacket pocket and shot a quick text to the groupchat with his lovers. 

**Petey** : You two are so in for it 

**Pep** : Sorry Honey

**Tones** : In my defense, I didn’t know until last week

**Petey** : Oh yeah, you’re both not getting lucky anytime soon

He pocketed the device once more when Harrington started talking again, but his mind was miles away. “Ned, move.” Peter began sliding closer to the other boy and grabbing for the window latches. 

“What are you doing, Pete?”

“Jumping,” the window finally slid down, “I am not taking a field trip to the company _ I own _ ,” Peter hissed, still making grabby hands for his escape even as Ned soccer-mommed him against the bus seat. 

“One, you’re not jumping through the window because no. Two, you’re gonna go and finally prove Flash wrong, dude, how could you not want to do that?” 

“I never really cared in the first place, not like it’s gonna matter after high school,” he huffed. “I just want to finish out the year and spend my summer with you guys, not guide my peers through my home.” 

“Well, there’s not much you can do in this trying time, Pepe,” M.J. commented from behind her book. 

“Yeah, there is, jump out the window.” His phone buzzed once and then twice in his pocket, but he ignored it. Peter made a threat, and he’s sticking to it, no matter how much it pains him too. 

The ride was relatively short, and then they were unloaded onto the sidewalk. Peter caught Flash’s eye as he and Ned stepped off the bus and rolled his eyes at the boy’s smug smirk. Harrington gathered them away from the entrance and motioned to the glass doors leading inside S.I.’s lobby, where people were already milling about. Peter even caught a glance at Steven jogging past the front desk to the elevators. 

“Okay, guys, when we go inside, we’ll head straight for the scanners where our tour guide will b waiting,” Harrington explained to the group of huddled students. “There, you each will receive a lanyard with an I.D. that will allow you access to the floor for the duration of this trip only, yes, Miss Moon?”

“Do we get to keep the lanyards after?” 

“Yes, but they will be deactivated, so please don’t try and come back with them.” A few students chuckled. “Once we’re inside, the guide will explain the plan, so please pay attention. I’d hate to have to send one of you back to the bus.” With that, the students were ushered inside and headed straight for the scanners. There, a familiar figure stood checking a clipboard by the bag scanner. Harley fucking Keener, decked out in a crimson flannel and faded blue jeans, smirked as he found Peter’s eyes. 

“Mornin’, y’all, I assume you’re Midtown High?” He got a chorus of affirmatives and grinned broadly as he slid a small drawstring bag from off his shoulders. “Awesome, when I call your name, come get your I.D. Sally Avril.” Harley read down the list, purposely skipping over the trio’s names, and Peter hoped it would go unnoticed, but no such luck.

“Uh, sir? These three didn’t get an I.D.” Harley looked up from the list and to Mr. Harrington with a blank look.

“That’s because they already have one?” Harrington’s mouth opened and closed like a fish as he stared between MJ, Ned, and Peter. “Anyways, let’s get goin’, kids. I’ll explain as you move through the scanner. Make a line and go through however you see fit, I guess.” Sally went first, albeit a bit cautiously, and glanced up sharply when FRIDAY’s voice rang out. 

“Sally Avril, Omega-4. No suspicious items detected. Welcome to Stark Industries.” 

“Who was that?”

“That’s FRIDAY, Tony’s A.I.,” Harley explained casually, “she monitors the tower at all times for any danger, keeps everything running. She’s what allows the I.D.s to work properly because she scans the chips inside them. Yeah, you in the back.”

“Uh, what is Omega-4?” Charlie Murphy asked curiously, his blue eyes focused intently on Harley. 

“Oh, that’s a ranking system. Omega-4 is for guests like you with temporary passes. It’s what goes in the data that allows us to see what I.D.s are entering.” 

“That means there are other ranks, right?” Peter rolled his eyes and took a second to subtly slip one of his earbuds in. Might as well enjoy some bops while I suffer.

“Yeah, there’s Omega 4-1, Beta 3-1, and Alpha 3-1. Before you ask, Alpha-3 is for friends and family of Tony, Alpha-2 is for all superheroes such as The Avengers or King T’Challa when he visits, and Alpha-1 is for Tony and his people.”

“How many Alpha-1’s are there?” Flash called out. 

“Five in total, four that live here year-round. No, I will not tell you who. You’ll figure it out as we go, or you won’t.” Harley shrugged carelessly and sent Peter a wink. Since the trio was in the middle, they were up soon enough with Ned going first. 

“Edward Leeds, Alpha-3. No suspicious items detected. Welcome back, Nedward.” The webslinger closed his eyes with a heavy sigh as his peers immediately started whispering. 

“Why is he an Alpha-3?” 

“Because Ned’s a friend of someone in the tower?” The southerner posed it as a question with a tone that suggested they should’ve known that. “M.J., you’re up next.” She rolled her eyes and stepped through.

“Michelle Jones, Alpha-3. No suspicious items detected. Welcome back, Miss Jones.” M.J. nodded her head toward the ceiling as she stepped to the side with the others. Peter glanced around and realized he was up next, so with a hopeful prayer to Thor, he stepped through the scanner. 

“Peter Parker-Stark, Alpha-1. Three authorized items detected. Boss says, welcome home, light of my life.” The teen flushed as he moved to stand beside his friends and met the slack-jawed stares of his classmates. Oh yeah, they’re so in for it. 


	19. 19. Fuck It Up, Peter

“What the  **_ shit _ ** , Parker?” The webslinger flushed at Sally’s exclamation and rubbed awkwardly at the nape of his neck. 

“I’m pretty sure I said I worked here. Not my fault that none of you took me seriously,” Peter replied. His fingers twitched in his pockets, but he forced himself to stand straight and meet their shocked eyes. He caught Harley’s proud smile in the back and wondered if this was his lover’s plan all along; make him stand up to everyone who looked down on him.  _ It was working _ . 

“Alright, everyone, since we got that outta the way, on to the tour.” Harley strode past the students and toward the elevators, where he stopped. “Split into two groups, one in each elevator, please. FRIDAY will be guiding them for the duration of your tour, so don’t bother touchin’ buttons.” The doors slid open as if on cue, and the students stepped inside like a herd of buffalo. Peter pressed himself to the back of the elevator, his skin prickling from the close contact of so many people that are technically unfamiliar to him, and chose to stare out the glass. 

The sun still shone brightly above as the students rose to the intern and lower-level biochem labs. The senior scientists would be there, but they couldn’t risk meeting on their floor due to their NDAs. The teens filled out once the doors opened, and they ooh-ed and ahh-ed at all the shiny gadgets. Sarah Jane stood with the other biochem residents and waved happily when she saw Peter. 

“Hey, Mini Stark, I didn’t know this was  _ your _ tour.” Thankfully, they were close enough that only MJ and Ned heard her. 

“I didn’t either, actually, a gift from Tony and Pepper,” he said with a mild pout. “What are we doing here?”

“Going over what we do, some of the latest projects including yours,” she grinned. “Anna thinks she found a way to make the webs last longer. She was hoping to speak to you at some point today.” Sarah Jane nodded over to where a tiny college junior was talking animated to John, the biochem department’s head. 

“Tell her if I get a free second here, I’d be glad to talk, but I wouldn’t put money on it. People seem intent on inter-” 

“Peter, quit bothering the nice woman and come listen to Mr. Keener. I’m sorry, Miss McCormack.” 

“It’s  _ Doctor  _ McCormack, actually, and Pete’s never a bother with us.” Sarah Jane’s tone was icy as she regarded Mr. Harrington, but her eyes were kind as she turned to the webslinger. “Don’t worry, Peter, I’ll let Anna know you might have some time later tonight if not while you’re here.” 

“Thanks, Sarah,” Peter called out before the others joined him upfront. Ned and MJ bracketed the spider on either side, effectively keeping his peers’ prying eyes away, and he was grateful. 

“Alright guys, this is one of the many biochemistry labs on this floor. This is for pretty low-level stuff, mostly interns and their projects, and this is our head of the biochem department, John Lawrence.” The students clapped politely for John as he took over from Sarah, and he gave them his award-winning smile. Literally the smile he used when accepting awards.

Peter tuned out the speech as he had heard it before on other tours and instead slyly pulled his phone from the pocket of his jacket. 

** Tones: ** Don’t be mad Petey-pie

** Pep:  ** If you hate it that much, then I can come rescue you honey

** Tones: ** Yeah she’ll be there sooner than you know

There was something mildly ominous about Tony’s last text, but Peter chose to ignore it for the sake of his sanity. Ned elbowed him, drawing the teen from his thoughts, and he moved with the group to the other side of the lab. There, a familiar ball of blue slime sat on a table. 

“Now, with all our successes down here, we also have a few failures.” 

“Hey, Arlo is not a failure. He’s a happy accident,” Sarah corrected, her eyes narrowed at John. 

“Arlo is essentially a sentient creature that was created as a byproduct of a 75-hour experiment binge done by two of our colleagues. While he does not experience any brain function due to a lack of organs, we learned early on that he likes to absorb ink pens.” John explained. “Why we don’t know, but it has caused a few arguments between interns over lost pens. Any questions? You, in the blue shirt.”

“Who created Arlo?” Peter dropped his head and tried to feign indifference as he fiddled with his necklace, but his heart was hammering inside. 

“Our very own Dr. McCormack and Peter over there. They actually hadn’t realized that their creation was sentient until after the experiment was complete, and they had come back the next day.” Eyes turned toward the teen, and he willed away the blush fighting its way to his cheeks. 

“Okay, y’all, back on the elevator. Now, the physics and molecular floor.” This section passed by fairly quickly, but Engineering was where things got interesting. Peter’s group was second to arrive, and when the doors slid open, all they saw was a group of interns and scientists huddled in the center of the room. Peter could make out a familiar humming noise beneath the din of voices, and his heart dropped into his stomach. 

“Hey, Peter, we were just waiting for you.” The spiderling met Rhodey’s eyes for a split-second and then glanced at Shuri, who he had not known would be appearing. MJ had frozen next to him, her eyes wide and trained on her girlfriend, and Shuri beamed back at them. 

“Hello, Midtown; I am Princess Shuri of Wakanda.” Peter rolled his eyes as she rarely used her moniker for anything other than dramatic effect, but let himself smile as Rhodey stood up.

“I’m Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes of the United States Air Force,” he greeted, “but you might know me as War Machine.” The teens’ whispering grew louder as Peter slipped to the back of the group, where Harley leaned against the wall. He ignored the Southerner’s usual smirk as he mimicked the pose and grimaced at his peers. 

“You really didn’t know?” Peter shook his head, his errant curls falling into his eyes with the motion. 

“No, my  _ lovely  _ partners did not inform me of this,” he said drily. Harley snorted and reached over to pat the teen’s shoulder. 

“They knew you wouldn’t go otherwise, Pete. Plus, you can’t tell me you ain’t havin’ a little bit of fun.” 

“I’d rather it just be over,” Peter replied simply.

“What, you wanna sneak off for a quickie with ya lovers?” The spiderling flushed and punched the older man’s shoulder, though mindful of his strength. 

“No, I don’t. Neither of them will be getting lucky for a while, Keener,” Peter growled, though he knew it’d be sooner than later that he would give in. “Tell me about Harry?” Harley’s expression softened into something one could only describe as  _ gooey _ , and he smiled. 

“We got the apartment in Brooklyn. It’s about 45 from here and definitely no what Hare’s used to, but it’s ours. The landlady was real sweet, told us about her grandson who just came out.” Peter was happy for his friend, though an absent cell in the back of his brain whispered that he wanted the same thing. He wanted to hold Tony or Pepper’s hand in the street or go get dinner together, but that might never be an option. 

“I’m happy for you,” Peter finally said. “You guys really deserve this, and I know you’ll be uptown soon enough. Has Harry found a job yet?” 

“Yeah, I’ll tell ya all about it at lunch. It’s time to go.” Stepping forward to address the crowd, Harley’s voice grew louder. “Alright, Midtown, back in the elevators. You guys will have an hour for lunch in the cafe, so make the most of it.” 

The cafe was two levels above the ground floor and had floor-to-ceiling windows on three of the four walls to give it an open feeling. A small fountain rested at the center of the room where a few tables sat around it. On the opposite end of the elevator was the buffet. It served a myriad of food for everyone’s preference, and employees always ate free, whereas guests simply got a discount. 

While Harley claimed a table near the elevator, the teens headed for the food. Peter assembled a monster sandwich while Ned raided the desserts for the two of them, and they met back at the table with satisfied grins. Harley went to grab his own lunch once Shuri and MJ joined them, both girls sharing lovey looks. 

“Good to have you in town, Shuri. You owe Peter a lightsaber rematch.” The princess grinned at Peter and tugged her jacket to the side to reveal the two sabers. 

"Woah, calm down, Jamal. Don’t pull out the nine.” MJ rolled her eyes but leaned further into her girlfriend nonetheless. “Maybe after the trip, we can rematch. I think we only have a little Q&A, and then it’s over.” 

“Plus,” Ned grinned, “we can leave right after this instead of going back to the school.” The four discussed their plans until the elevator opened, and Bucky walked out, the conversation trailing off as he towered over Peter. 

“Moya ruka snova zastryala.” 

“Vy prinesli moi instrumenty?” Peter asked while reaching behind him to steal a chair from another table. Bucky nodded and produced the small box from the pocket of his sleeveless SI hoodie. “Ladno, syad’, ya postarayus’ sdelat’ eto bystro.” The spiderling had his back to the cafe, essentially blocking Bucky from view the most he could, and got to work. 

A few disconnected wires here, an exposed wire there, all of which Peter fixed with ease. The others kept talking to distract Bucky, though they knew he wouldn’t engage them, and Peter was grateful. After ten minutes, the metal arm whirled back to life with the usual hum, and Bucky nodded.

“Spasibo.” The former assassin left without another word, so Peter turned back to his friends, only to realize they were staring past him. Turning around, the webslinger realized that nearly everyone in the cafe was watching him with wide eyes.  _ Shit. _ Peter sunk down in his seat and tried to ignore the heat of their gazes.

Thankfully, lunch ended pretty soon after, and Peter escaped into the elevator with the first group. The conference floor was nearly empty when they arrived save for the heads of every department. Steven, Anania, Sarah, Carlos, Leah, and a handful of their proteges murmured on stage as the students were ushered to the front row, and Peter realized his mistake. Ned, MJ, and Shuri sat in the row behind him while Sally and Betty were on either side of him, so at least he wasn’t alone. 

“Alrighty, guys, you get the chance to ask any of us questions about our jobs or departments. Though, we do reserve the right to not share based on our contracts. Who’s first?” Hands shot into the air before Steven was done speaking, so Peter settled in and kept his head down. He was content to coast through the rest of the trip, the metaphorical finish line in sight, but then his spidey-sense began to hum. Looking up toward the side door, Peter’s eyes widened when a familiar figure in a red pant-suit stepped through. 

“Sorry I’m late,” Pepper stated with her CEO-smile, her eyes settling on Peter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> B: "My arm is stuck again."   
> P: "Uh, did you bring my tools?"  
>  "Okay, sit down and I'll try and make this quick."   
> B: "Thank you."


	20. 20. Well, shit.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The whole MCU timeline is a goddamn mess, so this takes place in 2020 2 years post-Civil War. The throuple has been together like I think exactly a month at this point if my math is correct. (Which, let's be real, it probably ain't.) 
> 
> Also, I kinda got into a car accident last Sunday so that's why this wasn't out sooner lol. I meant to be done and edited by Wednesday, and well that did not happen.

“No problem, ma’am, we’re just starting,” Steven said with a polite smile. Peter tore his eyes away from his lover and focused his attention on his lap. His fingers fiddled with a strand from his jacket as the questions began rolling in. They drifted to his ring after a few minutes, as always. 

After ten minutes of not hearing the question _he_ wanted an answer to, Peter raised his hand.

“Yes, Peter?” He lifted his head and met Pepper’s gaze head-on.

“Why were we given this opportunity?” Her throat worked as she swallowed, and his mind conjured up images of the bruises he left just days ago without consent. 

“I wanted to help someone finally show everyone who they really are. This person had done so much for everyone, with nothing in return,” she said honestly, heartbeat steady. “Believe me, this was done with only the best intentions.” The teen’s heart constricted at her words, and he quickly looked away again. His earlier ire was melting away to understanding, but Peter knew it couldn’t be that easier. _I’ll keep them on edge for a little longer, see how long until they begin to grovel._

“Yes, you in the back?” 

“I was just wondering if you hired high school students as interns.” Peter internally groaned at Flash’s question and prayed to Thor that Pepper wouldn’t do anything to the poor idiot. 

“Well, Peter isn’t exactly an intern anymore, but he was also Tony’s exception. We do not _usually_ hire high school students, I guess I should say.” The spiderling didn’t need to look back to know that Flash wasn’t happy. 

“If he’s not an intern, then what is he?” They had planned to wait until graduation to announce it, but Pepper’s words replayed in his head. _Show everyone who I am._ Peter took a deep breath, looked back to his lover, and stood up. 

“I’m the next CEO of Stark Industries, Flash, so sit down before you continue to embarrass yourself.” The crowd broke into loud questions, but Peter only had eyes for Pepper. 

“I’m proud of you,” she mouthed, eyes glittering with mirth. 

“All because of you,” he replied. Ned and MJ grinned at him from the row behind him as he sat back down, but he couldn’t return it just yet. Not until the day ended. 

“Okay, any questions _not_ related to Pete’s announcement?” Crickets. “Okay, well, if it’s okay with Mrs. Stark, I guess you guys are good to go. It was nice meeting all of you.” 

“You are free to go and feel free to visit the gift shop on the ground floor before you go.” As the students slowly began to file out of the conference room, Peter lingered at the back. They stood a few feet apart, a safe distance with all the other people in the room, but the webslinger ached to at least hold her hand.

“I’m still a little mad,” he started, not dissuaded by her hurt look, “but I understand. Thank you, no one’s ever wanted to acknowledge me beside you two.” The woman’s fingers twitched at her sides, and she swallowed. 

“We love you, Peter, and we would do anything to see you happy.” It was the first time any of them had said those three words, and they slammed into Peter like a truck. “It may be too soon for you, but we both agree that you are it for us. I know you’re mad at us, and you have every right to be, but just know the intention was never to hurt you.” Pepper strode away with one last soft look, and the webslinger forced himself to rejoin the group. 

“Hey, Penis. How’d you get _her_ to agree to your little charade?” Peter groaned aloud and tried to step past his douchey peer, but a hand to his chest stopped him. He knew he could push past, but there was still the matter of his secret identity to think about, though that thread keeping him from acting rashly was dwindling by the second. 

“Flash,” Peter said softly, eyes meeting the other boy’s, “get your hand off me, or I’ll get security to escort you out.” Flash scoffed and pushed Peter again. The spiderling took a deep breath and looked past the bully to where the elevator was opening. Tony, Pepper, and Natasha stepped into view but faltered at the scene in front of them. Peter shook his head when Natasha took a menacing step toward Flash and squared his shoulders as if he was in his suit.

“We know you don’t have the authority to do anything but get on your knees, Penis. I just want to know how you did it.” Peter started walking away toward his friends, eager to escape the conversation, but Flash kept going. “I mean, what else would you be good for, huh? You’re just another scholarship kid from Queens; you don’t even belong here. What are you gonna do, Parker? Gonna spend the rest of your life mooching of your parents-oh wait. No parents to help poor, pathetic, Parker.” Peter froze, met Shuri’s eyes, and then moved quicker than anyone expected. 

Webbing covered Flash’s mouth, and Peter moved into his space. “I’ve put up with your shit for four years, Eugene. Four years of you pushing me into lockers, calling me Penis Parker, and I can finally say I’m sick of it.” Peter could see the recognition in his eyes. “I’ve let you push me around, I let you bully _my friends_ , but I’m done letting you. I’m Spider-Man, and I won’t be pushed around by you anymore.” The webslinger pushed Flash to the side and moved to stand directly in front of his lovers. The loud questions of his classmates became static in his ears, and he smiled at the two. 

“You just came out.” 

“Eh, been there, done that,” Peter joked. Natasha rolled her eyes, but he could see the pride behind her carefully intact mask. “I know what I’ve done, but it was going to happen one way or another. Now, it’s all out there. I have nothing to hide.” 

“Well,” Natasha wheedled, “not everything is out there.” _Well, in for a penny._ Taking a deep breath, Peter took each of his lover’s hands. 

“You didn’t let me say it back.” Pepper flushed under his gaze but returned his smile. “You’re right, it is very soon, but I know how I feel. I love you too, both of you.” 

“I’m proud of you, маленький паук.” 

“Nat, there’s someone I want you to meet before we go.” Natasha arched a perfectly plucked brow but let Peter lead her through the crowd of gaping teenagers to stand in front of Roger Harrington. “Sir, I thought you’d like to meet my legal guardian.” The Widow’s smile turned downright predatory as she regarded the teacher. 

“Natasha Romanov, a pleasure.” Harrington’s expression as he openly gaped at the redhead would fuel his happiness for weeks. “Peter’s told me so much about you.” Peter watched the older man flounder for a few minutes before taking pity on him and excusing the two of them. 

“I owe you big time,” the teen gushed once out of earshot. 

“Oh, believe me, Pete. This whole affair is payment enough.” Peter hugged her tightly and ran a hand through his curls. “I hope you understand what’s going to happen next, Peter.” The teen watched Chad try to subtly take a picture of him and Natasha and nodded. 

“I do, and I don’t regret a second of it.” 


	21. 21. The Next Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, it's over. This is first thing I've actually finished since I don't count my first original (bc yikes). I'm grateful to everyone who read and hope that it was enjoyed.

“I can’t believe you blocked me from the news,” Peter pouted. Tony rolled his eyes from his spot on the couch and looked at Pepper who sighed quietly from his lap. 

“Why concern yourself with what the tabloids think? You can do a press conference and be done with it.” The spiderling bit his lip as she finished rolling the joint. 

“Is it really that simple?” Pepper held the joint between her teeth and lit it with ease as she side-eyed him. 

“It is if you let it be,” Tony replied. “No point in worrying about the media when they’re going to print whatever they want anyway. Just tell your truth, okay?” Pepper slid from his lap and pressed the paper to the teen’s lips and waited. While Peter inhaled deeply, he maintained eye contact with his lover and knew that he couldn’t be mad at them. 

“You two are still in the dog house,” he pointed out as he exhaled. “You should have told me, given me time to prepare.” The pair had enough sense to look sheepish. 

“We’re sorry, we thought we were helping.” Tony ran a hand through his hair, staring past them almost tiredly. 

“We’d never intentionally hurt you, Peter.” The CEO’s eyes were sincere as she stared at him. “We’re sorry.” Peter smiled and reached out grasp one of her hands gently, vision hazy with smoke from the previous blunts and bowls. 

“I know, and I forgive you. I’m gonna be irritated for a bit,” Peter admitted, “but I meant what I said. I love you guys. I know I’m young and have so much ahead, and that I’ve never been in love before, but I know this is different. May told me that love was worth everything, and she was right.” 

“Peter, what are you-”

“Lemme finish. I’ve been worried the past few weeks, wondering when you’d realize that I’m not really what you want,” the webslinger stated softly, stroking the back of Pepper’s hand. “Sitting here though, I’m willing to risk it either way because I know that no matter how this ends, I will always be grateful for what you’ve shown me. I hadn’t fallen in love before this, and I get what was missing. Being with you guys, in any capacity, will be my greatest adventure. Now, I’m done. ” Tears were welling at the corner of Pepper’s eyes and for a moment Peter worried that he said the wrong thing. 

The older woman rose to her knees and held his face with such gentleness. “We aren’t leaving. Not unless you say otherwise, okay? We’re in this with you, no matter what.” The spider surged forward to kiss her, pouring out all his fears into the action until there was nothing left to think about. 

~_~.~_~

Early next morning, Peter Parker woke up and nothing had changed. The world didn’t end because Spider-Man became known. That thought was both disheartening and liberating. Peter opened his eyes and found himself staring at Tony, the man looking years younger in sleep. Pepper was at his back, her arms wrapped around him, and shifted so they were further intertwined. 

It was odd to think that things would be different. People knew who he was. The anonymity of Spider-Man was gone and he was simply Peter Benjamin Parker once more. The teen wondered how long it would take for him to miss his mask, but in the arms of his lovers the sacrifice was well worth it. Peter could have the life, be the hero, and get the girl. In his case, the girl  _ and  _ boy. They were worth it. 

“Hey, y’okay?” The spider thought about that for a second, and then slowly nodded. 

“Everything’s perfect, Tony.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I left the ending happy yet ambiguous because it's in their hands. Wherever they go, who knows because it's the big adventure of love and sharing life with someone, or someones in Peter's case. In that moment, everything was okay because that's all Peter knew, no thoughts of their uncertain future. 
> 
> I love this story, I loved writing it, and maybe someday down the line I'll add some misc one shots or whatever, but for now, it's done. Thanks for reading :)


End file.
